


Shattered Balance

by fallensnowflake



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward!Korra - Freeform, Band, Boxing, Child Abuse, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hiroshi's a dick, Korra is the class clown, Korrasami - Freeform, Physical Abuse, Possible smut, Pranks, boxer!korra, sort of slow build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-05-16 08:12:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5820895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallensnowflake/pseuds/fallensnowflake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra is the most popular girl at Republic City High with everything she could want. A girlfriend, peers who love her, and the top athlete and jazz musician at the school. Everything was perfect.</p><p>Until she met Asami.</p><p>Asami is the girl who appears to have everything due to her wealthy family. She's the smartest girl in the school who keeps to herself. Everyone thinks her life is a pampered and perfect one.</p><p>No one had any idea what went on behind close doors.</p><p>For Asami, will Korra be a thorn in her side due to her spitfire and too easy going personality or will she be the savior like the one in her favorite book; Shattered Balance?</p><p>And for Korra, what will she think when she realizes there is a girl crying for help underneath the mask of a pretty face?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken Reeds and Maintenance

Asami strolled in the hallways of her school with her jet black backpack neatly hung on her shoulders. The chatter of the fellow students buzzed in her ear like an annoying fly and she promptly put in her earbuds to drown out the gossip. She found her place underneath the shade of the silver maple tree and she rested her back against the rough bark as she quietly retrieved her favorite book.

Asami traced her gloved fingers over the leather cover of her book that only had two simple words on the front: Shattered Balance. She opened to where her bookmark was held last and her crystal light green eyes began skimming the page. Asami had only read nearly a paragraph until a sudden force collided against her and she went rolling in the grass. She groaned as she picked herself off of the ground and shook leaves from her raven hair.

By the time she retrieved her discarded belongings, she was finally able to see exactly what, well in this in this case who, crashed into her like a mad bull. It was another girl in her grade that she recognized as Korra. Asami blew out a breath in exasperation at the sight of the other girl.

Korra Konietzko was well known at their school despite this being her first year at Republic City High. She was by far the most popular at the school due to her very outgoing personality and performance in the sport world for the school’s boxing team. She was also one of the talented elites in the musical arts program that every student was required to take, but Asami had never heard her play since her spot was in the RCH Symphony and Korra’s was in the Jazz Ensemble. Korra also found herself in detention by Principal Beifong many times for some pranks she would pull.

Korra was dressed in a simple light blue crewneck shirt with a pair of dark denim blue jeans and mudded brown boots on her feet. Her jeans rode low on her waist and were a size or two too big due to the baggy appearance, but they were kept up with a brown leather belt that was withering. Her skin was tan and her eyes were a very unique cyan color that was very light against her skin and dark brown hair that was cut short. Korra was also very muscular from boxing and had a strong build despite that she was somewhat short in stature.

“Hey Korra, you alright?” A male voice called out from across the lawn from where Asami was standing.

“Yeah, I’m alright! Hey, do you mind passing me that football by your feet?” Korra gestured to the dirty football besides her backpack.

Asami leaned down and underhand tossed the football back to Korra lamely with disinterest. “Watch where you’re going next time.”

Korra stopped in her tracks once she heard Asami. She turned back to the raven hair girl and blew out a puff of breath as she pursed her lips. “Watch where you’re sitting.”

“Really is that all you got? I’ve been sitting under this tree before you came to this school. I mean nothing by it, you can have all the fun you want, but please just watch where you’re going.”

The dark brown haired girl opened her mouth to speak but closed it. She turned away and began making her way back to her friend after she had tossed the football across the lawn in a clean spiral. Asami watched her leave and as soon as Korra disappeared out of sight, the school bell rang.

She put her book into her backpack as she leisurely hiked to her classes across campus. Her schedule consisted mainly of electives like a majority of the other seniors on campus. The only core classes she had was Calculus, Physics, and Economics. The other four classes consisted of Wind Symphony, Engineering, Digital Media and Computer Sciences Level 3, and Japanese Level 4. Other than band, most of her classes were rather empty besides a handful of students. She was glad since it was quiet and she had time to work in silence to finish her homework which often was finished by the time the bell rang for the next class.

When she entered the room that had a sign that said ‘ENGINEERING’ in bold letters, she found her classmates sitting in a circle having a battle with the bots they created. She smiled since it seemed to be a free day and she joined in the fun to observe. She cheered along and placed bets with the other students. Her teacher had his feet propped on the desk with his hands behind his head. He waved to them after the bell rang.

The raven haired girl went on through the day taking piles of notes in each of her core classes. She finished the homework before the bell rang for the next class. She leisurely walked to her final class of the day which was band. Out of habit, she set up her stand and her chair in the front row. Asami reached for her flute and oboe case out of her locker and put together the narrow instruments.

The class soon erupted in the music of the instruments that ranged from scales to the music they were learning. Asami herself was rechecking the keys and pads of her instruments as she placed her reed in her mouth and untangled the wire for her tuner. She began tuning her instruments before she actually began playing random melodies. Her conductor cut everyone off and the music died instantly. He cleared his throat and spoke with a deep baritone voice.

“Today we won’t be playing as an entire band, but in sections. For the rest of the week my Jazz band will be coming in to help the saxophone and brass section improve since your intonation is dropping. I know we are near the band trip and you guys are excited, but keep in mind we are performing for a rank.”  
The click of the doors sounded and everyone turned their heads as they observed the Jazz Ensemble walk in the room with their instruments in their grip. Asami’s eyes recognized Korra and the boy she was tossing the football with. The pair was also speaking to an equally dark haired boy with bright green eyes and a strong build. Asami raised her dainty pale hand.

“Yes?” Her conductor asked.

“Why are we having the Jazz Ensemble teaching our brass and saxophone section how to play their music when they play in different style?”

A voice sliced through the air and Asami recognized that voice as Kuvira’s, a trumpet player, “Because even though their style is different from ours, their overall sound together is far better than ours. We should be thankful they will be teaching us so we can improve and rank superiors.”  
Asami wanted to roll her eyes at the egotistical trumpet player. However, she stuck her reed back in her mouth to keep her from retorting. Her crystal green eyes watched as Korra wrapped her arms around Kuvira’s shoulders as she sat and placed a kiss straight on her lips. This time her green eyes rolled and she faced back to her music and pulled out her current piece. She set the second chair flute player in charge of the flute section while she practiced her oboe.

The raven haired girl placed her flute on the tripod and reached for her oboe. Her delicate fingers landed on the keys as she held the narrow double reed instrument. She was about to remove the reed from her mouth and play, but a sudden scream of a trumpet exploded next to her ear and she yelped in surprise. The reed dropped from her mouth and onto the floor.

Asami turned to face the obnoxious trumpet player and for a brief moment she was surprised when her eyes met cyan blue. Her eyes flickered to the shiny brass trumpet in Korra’s hand before she remembered that Kuvira had had taught the senior everything she knew. She blew out a huff of brief as her eyes narrowed.

“What exactly was that for?”

The dark skinned teenager merely shrugged “‘Cause it’s fun to scare you prissy flute and oboe players.”

Asami soon realized her reed was no longer in her mouth and her eyes scanned the floor for it. She picked up the fragile reed by her shoe and inspected it as she spoke to the senior. “We are not prissy, we just take our position in this band seriously. -Great, you chipped my reed.”

“I’m sorry your delicate reed broke.” Judging by the tone in which she said that sentence, the raven haired girl could tell the other was pleased rather than apologetic.

Asami muttered under her breath as she switched her oboe with her flute. Of course of all days she had to forget her reed case and her spare had to be broken. Her green eyes trained back to the annoying teenager and found her with her friends stuffing paper balls in the tubas before the players came back. She sighed and turned back to her music.

If there was one thing Asami liked it was order or at least a little professionalism, and that girl surely did not fit the bill.

As the class went on, Asami did have to admit the trumpets and saxophones were improving with Korra and her friends teaching them. There was a great amount of laughing in between the session and she could tell her section needed a break.

“Okay, great job today. I’ll let you guys pack up early today.”

She almost smiled at the look of relief on some of their faces. They smiled to her as they finished packing up and went their own directions. Asami respected them and they respected her just the same. She sat down in her chair once more and began working on the little things in the music before a gruff and unsteady voice caught her attention.

“Uh, your section already packed up so why don’t you take a break and enjoy the last few minutes before the bell rings?”

Asami recognized him as Korra’s friend from earlier. She noted him to be tall and actually quite attractive. He had a chiseled face and amber eyes with hair as black as soot. His skin was pale in comparison to his hair and he was well muscled judging by the way his ashy grey shirt fit his torso and arms. He seemed tough, but his eyes had a certain kindness in them. A faint pink rose on his cheeks when Asami looked at him.

“I let them go early, I usually practice until this time.”

He rubbed the back of his neck “Oh yeah, you must be the section leader. Sorry.”

Asami could only giggled at his nervousness. Did she really intimidate him or something? Even then, she smiled kindly to him, “It’s alright, I usually don’t have anyone to talk to so that’s why I practice.”

He shuffled his feet, “Well do you mind if I talk to you?”

Her lips twitched upwards, “I don’t mind at all.”

He genuinely smiled and helped her pack up. After that was done, he extended his hand out to her “My name’s Mako.”

“Asami Sato.”

“Sato? As in the Satos that run Future Industries?”

Asami gave a sheepish smile “Guilty.”

Asami was a little worried that this new person would only see her as a Sato, but he only gave her another small smile as he put his hands in his pockets.

“That’s amazing.”

When the bell rang, he walked with her to her car and gave her a formal goodbye. Right now she didn’t know if this boy was going to be like the others that tried to hit on her or whether he was going to be a friend. She preferred the latter. When she looked in the rearview mirror as she drove away, she caught him staring.

* * *

  
Asami idly whistled a tune as she fixed one of the cars in one of her industries shops. She rolled in and out from underneath the car as she exchanged tool for tool. There was a thin lining of sweat on her forehead as she worked diligently. The radio reached her ears softly and she changed from whistling to humming to tune. She knew not to open her mouth and sing along to the song on the radio when she was dealing with a leaky car like this.  
There was a knock on her door and she rolled herself out from under the car and gingerly stood. She placed her tools in the box and opened the door for the workshop. Her green eyes lit with surprise at the person waiting, and cyan blue even showed a flash of surprise as well.

“Can I help you?”

Korra stuck her hands in her pockets, “I’m here to pick up my car. Can I talk to the person in charge? It’s already past due.”

“You’re talking to her.”

The teen leaned against the door frame, “No way you’re the person in charge.”

Asami crossed her arms “Indeed I am since I run this store for my father. Now, keep in mind I am the one fixing your car.”

Korra stared at her in a challenging sort of way before she thought against it. She reached in her jean pocket and pulled out a yellow slip. Asami read the slip and gestured for her to wait out in front of the garage. She went to the back of her shop to grab the keys. Afterwards, she went to where the fixed cars were and she strolled through the parking lot to number on the slip; 04-14-2012.

To Asami, it was unsurprising that Korra owned such a car. She had a deep ocean blue camaro with a white racing stripe. It gleamed in the sun and the interior was black leather. Asami put the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. The engine purred and her hands gripped the steering wheel as her body began to prepare itself. This car was built for speed, but she blew out a breath. Her dainty hand went to the automatic gear shift and she was slightly disappointed when it wasn’t manual.  
When she pulled it out front to where Korra was standing eagerly to be reunited with her car. Asami exited the sports car and the other teen zoomed past her and jumped in the car. She drove off and the wheels screeched against the concrete. Asami waved the smoke from her face as she crossed her arms and went back in her workshop.

 _A thank you would’ve been nice_ , She thought as she laid back and rolled underneath the car she was working on previously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a request from one of my friends and it's been a little awkward to write since I usually don't write this genre. Let me know if I should continue or not!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Ash


	2. Lunch and Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami meets the crew and Korra is causing trouble.  
> Asami does good and Korra is a clown.

As soon as Asami exited her car as she reached the school, Mako was at her side. He seemed a little more confident than yesterday and he followed her to her usual spot under the tree. They were having simple conversations about basic things such as their classes and schedules. He opened his mouth to speak before a certain cyan blue eyed teenager plopped down next to him and placed an arm around his shoulder. Her face was tight as she spoke.

“Hey Mako, what are you doing over here? I thought you were suppose to hang out with us and play another round of football this morning.”

Mako just shrugged a bit and gestured to Asami, “I wanted to hang out with her. Is there a problem?”

Crystal green eyes observed the other girl in front of her. Korra lips were in a thin line as her face grew even tighter. Asami knew it had to do with her, but she couldn’t figure out exactly why. She blew out a breath and she patted Mako on the shoulder before she stood and left. Mako just shrugged, but curiosity nipped in the raven haired girl.

“Is there something I had done to upset her?”

Mako let out a slight laugh as he smiled in reassurance “No, no of course not. She usually just doesn’t take well when she is left alone or ignored. I did say I was going to play football with her again yesterday morning, but I decided to hang out with you instead.” 

He halted for a brief moment as his eyes followed where Korra went. Asami’s gaze went along with his and Korra sat on the opposite side of the courtyard at a table by herself. She placed her headphones in and she crossed her arms. Asami felt guilt pang in her and she turned her attention back to Mako.

“Perhaps, we should ask her to hang out with us. She is your friend and she is alone.”

Mako opened his mouth to speak, but the bell rang and cut him off. He shrugged his shoulders as he offered her a hand to help get up from the grass by the tree. She slipped her hand into his and as she was standing, she saw Korra pick up her bag and throw it over her shoulder as she headed into the west wing of the high school building.

Asami endured all of her classes until lunch came and she breathed a sigh of relief. Usually her classes weren’t an issue, but her teachers had been so  _ generous _ today to assign 3 pages worth of work each to turn in by next class. She could feel her arms getting tired from constantly having to carry cement block like text books. She slammed them on the table she always sat at alone and let out a sigh as she headed to the lunch line.

Although the food was no five star cuisine she could get at home, she grabbed her styrofoam tray and plastic silverware as she added herself to the swarm of people waiting to get food. She placed her wallet on her tray as she went for the chicken sandwich, water, and an apple. After watching another student get scolded for not having money for lunch, she offered to pay. To her surprise, she recognized the student as Korra.

“Why how nice of this young lady to actually have money for lunch and pay for you.” The lunch lady quipped as she gave a stern look towards Korra and the younger one grumbled.

“Yeah, thanks.” She mumbled as she snatched up her tray and quickly went to the other direction.

Asami sat down in her usual spot and began eating her sandwich. As soon as the sandwich was up to her mouth, she felt a tap on her shoulder and her green eyes focused on Mako. He gave a small smile as he pointed in the direction behind him.

“Want to come sit with us?”

Asami leaned over to get a view to the table and saw 4 other people at the round table that could hold 6. She recognized 3 of them which happened to be Kuvira, Korra, and the other boy she saw yesterday with Korra and Mako with pitch black hair and green eyes. Next to the boy was a lithe looking girl with bright green eyes and a short haircut fondly glancing at him every once and awhile.

“Uh, sure I guess.”

Mako hastily went for her books and her bag as she grabbed her tray. She smiled in thanks to him and they began walking across the cafeteria. As they were a few steps away from the table, a joke must’ve have been said because the boy and girl besides Korra let out uproarious laughter as Korra slammed her milk carton down as milk spewed from her nose. She continued laughing and her action caused the others to laugh even harder. Kuvira looked anything but amused Asami noted.

Mako only chuckled and Asami giggled a little. It was rather amusing to watch and when Korra’s eyes trailed up to Asami’s, her face lost all expression as she quickly wiped her nose. The laughter died in her throat as she stared at the raven haired girl. Asami raised an eyebrow with a small smile.

“I hope I didn’t disturb anything.”

Cyan blue eyes were locked on crystal green. Asami waited patiently as the girl swiftly took a napkin to clean off the excess chocolate milk from around her face. A giggle escaped her throat and she could have sworn she saw a reddish tint to the other girl’s cheeks before it disappeared. Blue eyes veered off and stared at the table and she shifted uncomfortably.

“No, you didn’t disturb anything…”

Asami hummed, “What was so funny anyway?”

Eyes shifted from one another and there was a shrug. The lithe girl with short hair gave a soft smile, “Just something stupid.”

“Anyway-” Mako drawled out, “This is my brother Bolin, his girlfriend Opal, and Korra.”

Mako had pointed to the large boy with dark hair, the girl who had spoken to before, and then Korra last as he introduced them. Opal gave a polite wave and Korra stiffly nodded her head. Bolin had leapt up from his chair and gave Asami a massive bear hug. Her feet suddenly no longer touched the ground and she squeaked. After hearing the startled noise, he set the girl down. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry, it’s been such a long time since Mako’s had a girl with him.” He waggled his eyebrows at his brother and Mako turned beet red. Asami giggled.

“Bro, not cool!”

“I was beginning to think you hadn’t gotten over Korra-”

Mako punched his brother’s arm and Korra shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Asami sensed the tension and ‘accidentally’ dropped her tray of food after fumbling with it. Her water and apple went rolling into several different directions. Her styrofoam tray crunched as it landed on its side with sandwich. Mako shot over to get the apple while Bolin went to get her water. Asami kneeled down to grab her tray and she was about to reach over to the wrapped up chicken sandwich until a tan hand got to it first.

“Thanks for that.” Korra muttered and Asami nodded her head to the girl who had figured it out rather easily.

Korra returned to her seat and Kuvira had scooted closer while eyeing Asami. The ravenette took her spot besides Mako and the boy had replaced her yellow apple with his red one. He mumbled something about wanting to give her a clean one. Asami ate her lunch in silence as the group of teens talked about various parties. She immediately perked upon hearing racing. She opened her mouth to speak on the subject, but the bell rang. Dejected, she stood from her chair as Kuvira ripped Korra from her chair and off to the other direction. Asami raised a confused eyebrow.

She shrugged and decided to go to her last core class of the day. She entered the room of her Physics class taught by the swim coach Miss Kya. The swim teacher seemed bored of her job as she sat relaxed at her desk and her eyes were scanning something on the laptop on her desk. Korra was already in the back row with Bolin and another boy she recognized as Kai. The trio was already being rowdy as they were shooting paper balls in the trash can on the opposite side of the room.

Kya stood from her seat as the bell rang and stretched. Asami took her place in the front of the room so she could see everything she needed on the board. Kya was unlike her other teachers who taught by lecturing and instead by having a PowerPoint of the material since she was more relaxed in her way of teaching.

The class was in the middle of water physics and its chemical properties when there was knocking on the door. Kya tilted her head in confusion and opened the door. Principal Beifong stormed in with a cell phone clutched in her hand. The woman was red from her forehead to the base of her neck. The class all but cringed and shrunk down in their seats at the elder woman who looked positively furious. Kya even flinched as she gently placed a hand on the other’s shoulders.

“What’s the matter, Lin?” She asked softly and the principal took a deep breath.

Everyone knew the swim coach and the principal were an item. Kya’s fun and laid back personality was a direct contrast to Lin’s strict and serious attitude. They were a cute couple in the way that Kya could always calm Lin down, but even now she was too furious for her lover to do anything about it. By now everyone had shrunk down in their seats.

“Someone in this class broke into my office and changed my ringtone to something inapp-”

Just as she began explaining to Kya, her phone rang. The ringtone of the sleek smartphone stunned everyone. Everyone covered their mouths as they heard moaning. Not just any moaning, but moans from pleasured women. Her phone was practically screaming it and the principal hastily covered the speaker on her phone. Just as the moaning became muffled, Kya bursted into laughter. Lin sent a glare towards her girlfriend.

“Can you shut it off? I am not good at working phones.”

Kya nodded her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She grabbed the phone and within a span of a minute, the moaning turned into chimes. Lin was about to leave the class when she caught Korra giving a sly high five to Kai and Bolin. She stormed up to the desk and yanked Korra by the collar of her shirt. The brown hair girl yipped as she was torn from her chair and dragged to the door. Kai snickered at the guilty look that crossed Korra’s face.

"I knew it was you." The principal growled and Kai let out a bark of laughter.

“Busted.”

The class carried on and Asami kept glancing back at Korra’s now empty desk. Her friends had packed up her stuff into her ocean blue backpack. She could see their worried glances as the time left of class began to shorten. About two minutes before the bell did Korra burst into the classroom. Kya simply gestured for the girl to return to her seat until the bell rang. She was thrown her stuff by her friends and they leaned in expectantly.

“Detention and a call home. Luckily my dad picked up so when he wanted to have a ‘serious’ talk with me, he just busted out laughing and asked how I managed to do that.”

The bell rang and Asami stood from her seat. She glanced back at Korra and was met with a cyan blue stare. Korra’s eyes immediately flickered away from Asami as she slung her bag over her shoulder and left with the other boys. As soon as the ravenette stepped out of the door, Mako was at her side. She smiled at him and he offered to carry her textbooks. She only shook her head and gestured that his hands were already full from carrying his trumpet case.

They both entered the band room and it was as busy as a bee hive. The conductor, Raiko, was surrounded by countless musicians all complaining on how they didn’t want to play their instruments today or that they were only in the class because they had to. Korra was in the middle of switching out of her other instrument to her main one which was the alto saxophone. She had her reed placed in her mouth and once it was ready she blew out the lowest note she could possibly reach behind her girlfriend.

The foghorn like sound made Kuvira tense and Asami watched as she sent a glare towards her girlfriend. Korra cringed and her lips moved as if she was saying an apology before she scampered off. Asami could see the kicked puppy look on the other’s face for just a moment before it disappeared as she began instructing the other saxophones like she was told. There was no denying that the jazz band saxophone player was a prodigy.

The ravenette knew that if Korra was not required to do band, she absolutely would have blown the subject off. However, since it was required to graduate as a way to help students have a better chance of getting into college since there would be a one up factor, the cyan eyed girl took the class on the saxophone. Asami had heard the gossip from judges and guest conductors that Korra was a top notch musician with a gift. They would only turn bitter when they found out that she would not follow through college with music, but with boxing because that was the one she was most talented at and enjoyed the most. 

Disappointed they may be, but that’s how she got her nickname the Avatar for being able to master everything from sports to academics to music. 

The class went by smoothly. It was filled with a jumble of noise as different players were playing different parts. Raiko was in his office finishing up some paperwork for the upcoming trip while the first chairs like Asami were making sure their sections sounded the best they could be. Everyone packed up and placed their cases in their lockers and some exaggerated the way they snapped their locks closed as they could finally end the day. The flute player was glad there were no incidents.

Just as she thought that, the copy machine began spitting out papers at high rates with papers flying all over the place. She cursed to herself.

“ _ Korra!” _ , Raiko shouted.

She was already out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys, 34 Kudos and 348 Hits in less than a day? Thank you!  
> I honestly didn't think people would like this dumb little story, but thank you to all who commented!  
> I have the story pretty much planned out so with a plan in mind I should update rather regularly.  
> You people are amazing, I hope you have a wonder day!  
> -Ash  
> P.S if you want to visit me or talk to me on tumblr, my account is biggestrainbow!


	3. Challenged By A Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami receives a challenge. Her and Mako have a friend date. At the end, this is where the story begins to that its turn!

Asami found herself at the lunch table again with Bolin, Mako, Opal, Kuvira, and Korra. They were each in their own separate conversation with Bolin talking to Opal, Mako speaking to her about something that happened in his class, and Kuvira nodding her head every now and then with a look of disinterest at times that Korra missed as she spoke. Korra still had her gym bag slung over her back as she sat at the table and there was still a thin line of sweat on her forehead from gym.

Whatever the cyan eyed teen was talking about, she was doing it passionately with wide gestures of her hands. She was excitedly talking about an event that happened and Asami couldn’t help but listen in. Her attention went from Mako to her and the boy had taken no offence at the change of interest, but instead turned his attention to Korra. He suddenly perked up and spoke with a smile.

“Are you talking about the time you beat Tahno at racing?”

“For the millionth time-,” Kuvira began but the the excited teen cut in and wore a smug smile on her face,

“You know it! That had to the best day when I finally beat him and knocked him off the track!”

“Tahno’s really not that hard to beat in terms of skill…” Asami said and Korra’s smugness deflated a little before she bristled.

“What would you know about car racing?”

“Almost everything.” Asami replied simply and Mako added,

“Dude, her family owns Future Industries. Their cars are known for being on the street and for racing.”

“Tahno is a tough competitor because of his tactics which are questionable, but in terms of a skill behind the wheel, well... he lacks. He is a good driver, but he is not the best.”

“I still beat him!” Korra protested.

“Yes you did and I’m not doubting you.” The girl said smoothly.

Blue eyes narrowed, “You think you can race better than me don’t you?”

A little laugh escaped her throat, “I’ve never seen you race, but I’m sure I’d have a shot.”

Bolin, Mako, and Opal watched on with a little weariness, but Kuvira was picking at her nails while being completely out of the conversation. Asami just stared at Korra without any expression giving way on her face beside a raised eyebrow. Korra grew flustered and suddenly a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips and she crossed her muscular arms over her chest as she leaned back.

“Fine then. I challenge you to a race.”

Green eyes flickered away from the hard gaze she was given. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a smug look pass on Korra’s face. Realizing that Korra thinks she is declining her offer, she straightened her back. She tilted her head somewhat upwards as she locked eyes with the other. She smiled as she leaned back. 

“I accept your offer.”

Korra faltered for a brief moment, “O-okay. The race will happen on Friday after school on the track.”

Asami extended her hand and the other stared at it for a moment before hesitantly reaching out to grip her hand. Both of their grips were firm and the ravenette noted the contrast of their hand texture. Korra’s skin was tough and her palm was rather thick compared to her soft and dainty hand. The tan hand was heavily calloused from boxing and a spot on her thumb from her saxophone. Her hand was cool compared to the warmth of Korra’s. 

The two seniors said nothing to each other for the remainder of lunch. Cyan eyes constantly stole glances towards the ravenette as said person spoke to Mako. The chestnut haired senior smirked at her friend as she remembered the teasing she had given him earlier some days ago. He caught her smirk and kicked her shin underneath the table. Her yelp was blocked out by the bell and Asami stood from her seat and Mako followed after her.

“Do you realize what you’ve done by accepting Korra's challenge?”

The girl tilted her head upwards to look at the boy. He was staring at her and waiting for an answer, “Not really.”

“Racing and boxing are Korra’s favorite things. She is the best at what she does. When she said she beat Tahno, she beat him. It had taken her few tries, but she actually did it and she’s been undefeated ever since.” Mako explained quickly and once he saw the offence on her face, he waved his hands as he quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t doubt your skill, but if you lose I just don’t want you to beat yourself up about it. Listen, I’ll explain more about it later, why don’t we go hang out later at the mall?”

The tone in which he said it made it sound like a date and Asami inwardly cringed. She didn’t want to lead the poor boy on, but curiosity got the best of her. “Okay, after school we can go there and talk.”

Mako smiled.

* * *

Once the bell rang, Mako was quick to catch up with her. He asked if he could ride with her since his brother needed his car since Bolin was going on a date with Opal. She agreed, but the car ride was rather silent to the mall as Asami drove. She could her tires run over the smooth asphalt of the road or if it hit any pebble. She didn’t mind the silence, but she could tell the boy next to her was trying to figure out how the strike a conversation. He stopped once he noticed her complete concentration on the road.

When the pair stepped out of the sleek black car, Mako was quick to remove his ash gray jacket and toss it in the seat of the car. The sun was beating pretty hard in them as the hot rays. The temperature was oddly warm despite it being one of the cooler months. When he was at her side, his eyes glanced back at her outfit and he shook his head.

“I don’t know how you are wearing a coat in the heat like this.” He said gesturing to her black jacket with a maroon collar. 

She grew a little tense before taking a deep breath and shrugged, “It’s not that hot to me.”

He accepted her answer and they both entered the mall. They walked around aimlessly and did not enter any of the stores. Their eyes scanned through the windows as Mako began talking about how he wanted to be a policeman in their city and Asami was quick to support him on the idea. He brightened at that and he suggested they sit down to eat so he could explain what he said earlier in the day.

They went into Highway 9 Diner by the entrance of the mall. They both order a cheeseburger and Mako feigned shock as he exclaimed that it had been such a long time since he was around a girl other than Korra who preferred a greasy cheeseburger over a healthier option. She shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes. They took their spot by the window and sipped on their soft drinks. Asami was the first to speak.

“So, what’s the big deal you said you had to explain later?”

The boy twirled a fry before popping it in his mouth and spoke after he finished chewing, “I’ll start off by saying maybe you should back out of the race. Korra may be a little smug about it, but she won’t humiliate you by announcing that you called it quits.”

Crystal green eyes hardened, “Not a chance. If I said I would do something, I very much intend to.”

A sigh escaped his lips, “As I said before, I just don’t want you to be upset if you lose. Korra is a great racer and what you said about Tahno kind of hurt her pride in thinking that she won a easy race and that it wasn't that big of a deal. She’s really impulsive and that race she challenged you to was an example because she thinks she is a going to beat you easily. If you lose she will be happy that she proved you wrong and won another race to brag about.” 

He took a moment to sip his drink and Asami took a bite of her burger as she waited for him to continue.

“Also, the way Korra races is borderline dangerous. She is not an aggressive driver that will try to purposely knock you off the track, but she puts so much fire in speed onto the pedal that if she loses control, she will crash and I wouldn’t want you to be dragged into that so the both of you don’t get hurt. She sometimes drives like a kid who is eager to drive and immediately hits the gas despite them never being once behind the wheel.”

Asami remembered Korra’s car in the shop and chuckled to herself as to knowing how the incident happened. When she had entered in the computer that the car had been picked up by the owner and the payment was made, she had noticed in the bold lettering underneath the ‘ **Reason(s) for Visit** ’ category it said  _ impact to fender and broken suspension arm and spring.  _ She was surprised the car wasn’t totalled by now. She was brought out of her thought by a male voice.

“-nd say if Korra was to lose that would cause an entirely different matter. Since she takes pride in boxing and racing, and if she was to lose to you, I think she’d be pretty upset.”

“Upset as in her having another reason to hate me?”, The girl was surprised when a bark of laughter escaped the other’s throat.

“You think she hates you?”

She was entirely confused, “Judging by the way she likes to scare me with her trumpet, be pleased that she broke my reed, call my section and I ‘prissy’, do her best to not speak to me, and glare at me like she wanted to murder me when I never meant to offend her pride, it sounds like she does.”

Mako hummed and the sound turned into a chuckle, “She doesn’t hate you at all I can tell you that,” when he caught the confusion swimming in her eyes he continued, “Korra may have seemed a little… rude to you at first, but knowing her, she probably felt inferior to you.”

“Inferior to me? She’s only known me for a few days.”

“She’s known you for as long as she’s been here. You may not have known her, but it’s kind of hard to miss a very beautiful girl in your class who is rumored to be one of  _ the  _ Satos. I don’t really know how Korra’s mind works most of the time, but I know it enough to know that she doesn’t hate you. She would always tell me how jealous she was of you over little things like how easily you seemed to catch onto a lesson in class since you both share classes together or how you had this aura that got the attention of everyone.”

“Really?” Surprise was evident in her tone.

“Yeah, and she only told me that because we were dating. She isn’t one to open up about her feelings because she doesn’t want to seem weak and if she does she either feels like she needs to or has to, which was my case because she felt like she had to tell me these things because we were dating.”

“I think I understand.” Asami said, but truly she didn’t.

Korra confused her. She had seen the girl around school and thought her to be quite attractive, but recently her antics were a major thorn in her side. It was impossible to go a day without seeing or hearing of the girl at school because of her popularity, and now that she sat with them at their lunch table it was even worse. Girls would flock over to Korra like a bee to its hive to try and get her attention until Kuvira would snap at them and they would scurry off or the girl in question would nicely, although Asami never missed the hint of being uncomfortable at times, send them away.

What Mako just told her made her even more puzzled. She’d gone the year thinking the popular girl hated her. She wasn’t surprised by this since many other girls at the school disliked her for her ‘natural beauty or wealth’ as they put it, but with Korra it did not make any sense. The girl was  _ very  _ attractive by nearly every standard and with the muscle added in the equation along with intelligence, talent, and athletic ability, there was no reason that the girl should feel inferior at school.

If anything, now that she thought about,  _ she  _ should feel inferior to Korra.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Mako accidentally knocked over his fries. They went tumbling over the counter and he let out a few curses as he tried to catch them. Asami giggled at him and he turned impossibly red. He cleaned up his mess and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, it was funny.”

He opened his mouth a few times and closed it. When he spoke, his eyes were adverted from her, “Asami… I wanted to ask you something…”

She placed a hand over his as she gave him a soft, yet sad, little smile. He seemed to know where that was going to lead so he nodded his head and the tips of his ears turned a bright red. At first she could see in his eyes he felt a little shamed before his face turned slightly crestfallen at the turn down. She gently prodded at his arm as she went to sit next to him in the booth.

“It’s not that you aren’t a great guy, but I’m just not into men.” Her cheeks turned slightly red at the admission since she does not regularly say it.

His eyes widened his cheeks turned an equal rosy color, “Oh.”

“I’m sorry if I led you on. I should have told you before.”

He recollected himself and he awkwardly dismissed the apology. His eyes suddenly veered off into the distance and a cheeky grin made its way on his face. He nudged her and gestured with his head to the corner of the mall.

“Think that girl over there is hot?”

Asami rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but let the laughter escape her throat as she glanced over to the girl he gestured to. The girl had dark black hair with dark blue eyes which was rather uncommon where they lived since most dark hair people had either ember, brown, or green eyes. Her skin was pale and her thin body was clad in a pair of black short shorts, black converse, and a red tee shirt. Her long hair ran down her back like a waterfall and she was actually quite pretty, but not very much Asami’s type.

“She is pretty, but if I’m not mistaken Mako,” she said with a tease in her voice, “she happens to be looking straight at you.”

His head whipped over to her and he sputtered, “What?”

“She’s looking straight at you and seems rather interested. Go talk to her.”

He hesitated until Asami practically shoved him out of his seat. He straightened his shirt and made his way across the food court to the girl who was sitting alone. She seemed rather shocked and a shy look crossed her face as Mako began talking to her. Asami watched with satisfaction after probably 10 minutes, they switched phones to enter their numbers. The girl waved goodbye to him and Mako made his way back over with an accomplished look on his face.

Mako and Asami soon found themselves wandering around the mall in the stores. Asami bought various things to wear on more formal occasions and she forced Mako to buy several things in case he had a date coming up. He sarcastically laughed at that and the pair continued to joke about it like a brother and sister would. They were both startled when the intercom of the mall announced that they would be closing in 10 minutes.

“What time is it?”

“About 9 o’clock.”

Asami stopped dead in her tracks, “Oh no, I should’ve been home 2 hours ago!”

“At 7? Why?”

“My father wants me home early, and if I’m going to be late I should have let him know!”

“If it’s going to be a problem, I’ll talk to him.”

She took a deep breath, “No, no. That’s okay, now that I think about it, I was over reacting.”

They entered her car without a word said and she drove him to his house. He thanked her with a smile and she made a joke about making sure he called that girl in the mall. Once she drove away from the house, dread immediately filled her as she watched the clock grow closer and closer to 10. She disliked the fact that the mall was far away from her house. Her foot made its way closer to the floor as she pressed on the pedal to increase her speed. 

With every inch closer to her house, her heart beat faster and faster. A weight in her stomach began to pool as she got within range of her high class neighborhood. She calmed herself a little as she took in the beauty of the mansions, but her grip on the steering wheel made her knuckles white. When she pulled up to her gate, every muscle in her body was stiff. As her hand wrapped around the doorknob of her mansion after she inserted the key, her heartbeat was so high it felt like a flutter in her chest.

She held the breath she took as she entered the darkness to face her punishment for being late and the beast lurking in the shadows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I meant to post this 2 days ago, but it has been a shitty week! The main reason I didn't post is because my girlfriend of over a year decided to call it quits because there was another girl. Not gonna lie and be all tough, but it hurt like a bitch.
> 
> For the people who hate my Korra: THERE IS A REASON FOR KORRA ACTING THIS WAY JUST WAIT! WHAT WAS EXPLAINED IN THIS CHAPTER IS PARTIALLY, BUT NOT ENTIRELY, TRUE ABOUT WHY SHE ACTS THIS WAY.
> 
> Also I shot Mako/Asami ship down. Sorry not sorry this is Korrasami :D!
> 
> Love you guys so much, thank you so much for the 66 Kudos and 747 hits! See you next chapter!
> 
> -Ash (biggestrainbow on tumblr)


	4. The Mistake of Being Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiroshi is introduced. Korra's point of view is shown and she does a good deed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read this chapter a million times and I don't really feel positive about it cause I think it's awful, but:
> 
> WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONSISTS OF CHILD ABUSE
> 
> There was part of me that wanted to write out more of the abuse part, but the majority of me wanted to keep it as small/ quick as I could be about it. I tried to keep it to a minimal since it is the beginning of this story, but it is still very much there. For those of you who want to skip, skip until the line break where it begins to introduce Korra's POV. Next chapter will include any plot missed by those who skipped.
> 
> I might take this chapter down later if I continue to hate it.

The house was eerily quiet as she stepped in. Her boots hit the marble floor softly as she tried to be as silent as she could. She dare not turn on the lights in case her father not be awake or to give away where she was. She made her way through the house by memory and her heart rammed in her chest like it wanted to escape. She was a mere feet from the stairs until a rough hand yanked her backwards by her hair and she went tumbling onto the marble floor. 

A yelp escaped her as she went to place her hands on her head as if it would sooth where her hair had been pulled. Her eyes were wide as she tried to search where her father was in the darkness, but a swift kick to her side gave her the indication. The unexpected kick to her side underneath her ribs knocked the breath out of her as she gripped her side as she lay shaking on the floor.

“Stand up!” A harsh voice cut through the shadows.

She scrambled to her feet and her side ached. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to calm herself down. Asami stood as straight as she could and the lights flickered on. She squinted her eyes when the bright lights surrounded her and she tensed when she found her father standing mere inches from her. A deep scowl was etched on his face and his maroon eyes were lifeless.

“Why are you late?” His voice was eerily calm and to her slight relief she could detect no alcohol laced in his breath.

When she did not answer quickly, she knew her mistake. His eyes hardened as his hands shot forward. They both gripped tightly on her pale arm as he shoved her into the dining room table. Her thin body was not enough to knock the table over, but her back made contact with the edges. A sharp pain shot up her spine and she fell to her knees.

“Pathetic excuse for a daughter, I should have left you the moment you got your mother killed. I trained you to defend yourself, but that was apparently useless since you lay there like porcelain doll.”

The muscles in her body tensed as the harsh words cut through her. Her instincts screamed to fight and defend herself as she had truly been taught, but every time she had raised her hand before to block a hit or fight back, she would be met with the father she couldn’t bring herself to hurt. She would glance at him and see the flashbacks of the man with her mother smiling without a care in the world until she made his world crumble.

It was her fault for her mother’s death and not a moment was missed when she wouldn’t be reminded of it. Everyday she would see the hurt in her father’s eyes and the broken man he had become when her mother died. Everytime she would be punished, he would make it known that she was the reason this was happening.

And she could never disagree with him. Asami thought she deserved this punishment and she couldn’t hurt her father for that.

She received another few swift kicks from her father before he sauntered off. She lay there on the floor as a few tears pooled on the cold marble floor beside her. Her body ached as it caught up with her and there was a dull pain spreading across her back and gut. A few moments after her she heard her father’s bedroom door shut did she get up from her place. Asami trudged up the stairs into her bathroom room. She glanced at herself in the mirror and hardly saw herself. 

The person in the reflection stared back at her with red rimmed eyes and dark circles that made it seem like her father punched her in the eyes. She undressed herself to address anyone the wounds and grimaced as she took a look at her back. Her back had an angry red tint to it and she sighed at the new bruises that would form.

Her ribcage and belly was equally red. Her fair skin was tainted by the new bruises and the old that speckles across her body. Her arms were littered with purple blotches that were either a dark purple to a yellow or green. She gently touched some of them and flinched when the pain ran through her body. All except her face and neck was covered in the unsightly bruises. Asami turned on the shower with another deep sigh.

Her father was a smart man. Due to many galas she would have to attend with her father for business and all the pictures being taken, he knew never to strike her in the face or put his hands around her neck for the fear of bruising that would give away what happened behind closed doors. Any bruise that might show on her arm or shoulder was always brushed off with a laugh and him explaining how clumsy Asami was. She would nod her head stiffly and laugh along with them despite the lie.

The warm water was a relief on her skin and she smiled slightly as the warmth enveloped her. Asami felt her muscles relax and her shoulders went from strung to loose as they sagged a bit. She was careful to wash over the bruises as she washed her skin with her lavender soap. She ran her fingers through her thick raven hair as she lathered it with soap.   


After her shower, she wrapped herself in her fluffy maroon towel and headed to her bedroom. She towel dried her wet hair after she slipped into her silk pajamas. She decided to distract herself with some essays on her laptop she needed to finish and reviewing the stock count for her auto shop that her father didn’t own since her mother gave it to her when she became 16. She glanced at the clock and saw it was 3 in the morning and she would soon have to get up for school at 8.

She didn’t even get a wink of sleep as she lay in bed.

* * *

Korra untangled herself from her sleeping girlfriend. She threw on her clothes that had been discarded and sat on the edge of the bed. Kuvira still lay on her side without any indication of waking up, or if she was, she didn’t care to move or ask why the other was leaving. She had got what she wanted out of Korra and gave her nothing in return. It had been a routine that had turned into an unpleasurable chore on Korra’s end.  


The chestnut brown haired girl stood from her spot and grabbed her bag. She exited the house quietly and went to her sports car. She sat in the car for just a moment before she revved up the engine and drove out of Kuvira’s neighborhood. Her eyes were droopy as she maneuvered the dark roads at 2 in the morning. Unfortunately for her, her home was on the opposite end of Republic City so it would be another hour before she could crawl into bed. 

She listened to the playlist in her car and she admired the massive mansions that were castle like as she drove through the outskirts of town. They were illuminated by the lights shining on the homes for all the world to see even at night. She couldn’t help but admire a white mansion with a japanese structure which stood out from the other victorian or gothic style mansions.

A tired grin made its way on her face as she reached her neighborhood. The houses were two story and rather large, but nothing like the higher class mansions she had passed through. Rather it was a step under and she didn’t mind at all too much since she would feel rather lonely in a massive home. When she pulled up to her driveway behind her parents’ car she saw Naga’s big fluffy white head resting on the window sill as she waited for her owner.

Korra entered her home and the massive supergiant white dog jumped over the couch and landed right in front of her. The massive dog the size of a small bear wiggled happily as she panted. Her dark brown eyes were bright with happiness as accepted the petting she received. Naga followed Korra throughout the house and jumped on the bed with her when the girl face planted in bed with a groan after she changed into her pajamas and showered.

The girl fell asleep in seconds pressed against Naga for warmth.

* * *

Korra awoke the next morning and took a quick stretch before she dressed herself in a blue and black flannel with a pair of old worn out ripped jeans and her brown boots. She let Naga outside as she prepared the massive meal for the dog. She poured the kibble in the bowl along with an entire can of wet food mixed with bland chicken. She put the bowl of food on the floor before stepped away about 3 feet and placing her fingers to her lips as she blew a loud whistle.  


Not two seconds later, Naga bursted through the custom dog door while sprinting over to her food bowl. As the dog went to turn the corner, her paws slipped from under her and she went sliding into the nearest wall. Without being fazed, she scrambled over to the food bowl and began inhaling her meal. Korra laughed as she pat her dog on the head before leaving the house.

When she arrived at school, Mako, Bolin, and Opal were waiting for her along with Kai and Jinora. Kuvira was nowhere to been seen, causing her to release a frustrated sigh. However, her mood brightened a little when her friends greeted her. Mako was still staring off into the parking lot as if he was waiting for someone and a smirk then grew on her lips.

“Have you asked her out yet?”

Ember eyes broke from the parking lot to Korra and he shoved her playfully, “Oh, shut up and by the way I did.”

“And what’d she say?”

He shrugged as he crossed his arms, “She said no.”

She grimaced, “Ouch, dude I’m sorry.”

“She said it nicely and it’s not that she doesn’t like me, it’s just that she’s into girls.”

The sip of water that she had taken from her water bottle went down the wrong pipe as she suddenly inhaled it. She began to sputter as she coughed and tried to wrap her head around the new information. Surprise was a big understatement in Korra’s mind at the moment as she pounded her chest.

“What?”

“Yeah, and by the way you should stop being so rude to her.”

The way in which he said it made it sound like a parent scolding their child and she winced, “I was only messing with her… I didn’t mean-”

Just like that Mako was off into the parking lot as a sleek black car rolled into their parking spot. He opened the car door and Asami stepped out. A small smile was sent his way and the pair began having a conversation. The bell rang soon after and the pair went to their respective classes. Korra went to her calculus class after seeing no sign of Kuvira and she noted that the ravenette was already in her usual spot in the front of the room.

Korra couldn’t help but stare at the girl who looked beyond her years as she sat at her desk. There were massive dark circles underneath her eyes as if the girl had never slept in the past week and her outfit look thrown together at the last minute. Her outfit consisted of a large oversized burgundy long sleeve with a pair of black skinny jeans and black combat boots. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail and her usual purple eye shadow was on her face.

Her eyes were sliding shut every now and then and the teacher constantly smacked Asami’s desk with his rolled up paper with a scowl on his face, “Miss Sato I expect you to stay awake in my class or I will send you to Principal Beifong’s with a call to your father.”

Korra noticed a surprising amount of fear that passed through crystal green eyes. A knot tied in the girl’s stomach as she felt something unpleasant when she saw Asami’s fear. Her hand gripped at her pencil with frustration before a sly grin on her face curved its way on her lips.

The ravenette was able to keep herself awake for another 10 minutes before the poor girl could not keep her eyes open any longer. The teacher was still writing on the board before her eyes began closing slowly. Korra took several spare sheets of paper and crumpled it into a tight hard ball. Right as the teacher dramatically made the period at the end of the sentence, he began to turn towards Asami. She smirked as she locked on her target and she threw the hard paper ball towards the desired spot.

The paper ball whizzed right over the Asami’s head and thunked onto the back of the teacher’s head. His shoulders tensed up before he whipped around and knocked over his cup of pencils. The sound startled Asami awake as she jumped in her seat and tried to assess the situation. The teacher swiveled around and stormed up to Korra’s desk. She leaned a little back as he got right up in her face. Her eyes remained unblinking as she simply stared at him.

“Is there something you need, sir? If you lost your place, I wrote down what you were recently lecturing about.” She stated as she handed him her notebook to show that she was paying attention.

He narrowed her eyes at her and the small class was looking at them. The sharp crack of the bell released them and she stood from her desk and made her way to her next one. She arrived before Asami to their Economics class. The girl arrived moments later and slumped in her seat. Due to the substitute, the ravenette was quick to put her head down.

Something clicked in Korra’s head as she remembered something in her backpack. She waited until the end of class before she placed the items on the other’s desk. The sleeping girl was not disturbed by the bell so as she turned to leave, she nudged the girl awake with a soft push of her hand. Once she made sure she was going to wake, Korra left the class with her gym bag and backpack slung over her shoulder as she prepared to go to her gym class.

* * *

Asami awoke when a hand pushed against her shoulder softly but firmly. Her eyes fluttered open as the sound of students filing out filled her ears. She lifted her head and blinked a couple of times as her vision adjusted to something placed on her desk. An energy drink and a protein bar stared back at her with a small note that said,  _ ‘Wake up.’ _ Crystal green eyes flickered over to the door and saw the retreating form of Korra go into the hallway.  


Asami couldn’t help but let a small smile grace her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay now hear me out on this.
> 
> I will jump ahead and say for any of you who will immediately begin ranting on how Asami's reason for not fighting back against her father is stupid or unreasonable since I see this all the time, just try and look through her eyes on this. From an outside perspective Asami is wrong, but to herself, she feels justified that she deserves the punishment she gets because she caused her mother's death and also she still sees the good in her father from the man he once was and can not hurt him because of it.
> 
> Emotions can block out a person's logical thinking no matter how intelligent they are.
> 
> And another thing is I'm honestly tired of people from tumblr telling me that they dislike my character of Korra. I designed her characterization this way because in the show, she was not all sunshine and butterflies to Asami at first. I'm reading some of the hate sent to me and you people are making it sound like Korra is beating Asami up. This story is going to show their development together over time at a pace I do not want to change. 
> 
> Sorry, but other than that, thank you guys for the 90 Kudos and 1147 Hits! Thank you for spending your time reading my fic! Love all of you! <3
> 
> -Ash (biggestrainbow on tumblr)


	5. Cover Up and Boxing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami covers up the bruises as the week goes on and she is invited to the Semi-Final Boxing Match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions/Hints of Past Child Abuse (last chapter for those who skipped)
> 
> Boxing terms in this chapter for people who may not understand. I am a boxer, but I do not do it competitively like the crew in here. Sorry for those who compete if I got anything wrong!  
> Jab: Quick punch from the chin to the target with the leading hand  
> Cross: Straight power punch that is thrown directly at the target  
> Hook: Sideways inside punch with the elbow bent  
> Parry: Fending off punches with gloves  
> Neutral corner: Where the person has to go once they knocked their opponent down.

Come Thursday, the bruises were a dark and angry purple. They were rather unsightly against her pale skin and her back was sore to the point where it hurt to lay back against the chair. Since she made it her goal to be on time and follow every order her father gave. He had left her alone for the majority of the week and she was also home before he was most of the time. She would ask the maids to prepare dinner before they were relieved of their duty and they could go home for the night.

The bruises on her arms and legs from previous incidents had practically healed and no longer hurt, but they had turned a near fluorescent yellow with spots of purple in them. She put on the black tee shirt she wanted to wear and then assessed where she would need to apply the make up. She dabbed some cover up and blended it into her skin on her forearms and upper arms to cover the 5 large bruises she counted. 

After she finished, she placed on the rest of her outfit and headed out to her car. Her father was still sleeping so she was silent, but she waved to the first maid she saw pull up to begin their day of work. She entered her sleek black Satomobile from her family’s company and headed off to school with her bag had been tossed in the passenger seat. She whistled to whatever tune had showed up on the radio.

Mako was always the first to greet her at the car and she had hugged him excitedly when she heard that he had indeed landed the date with the girl at the mall. She soon regretted that decision when his strong arms wrapped around her and squeezed. She bit her lip to stop the whimper that was about to escape her. They both then walked over the group and they all smiled at her, including Korra who sent her a small one.

She could tell Korra was preoccupied with looking for her girlfriend and Asami cringed inwardly as she took note that this had happened all week. Kuvira was nowhere to be seen until 3rd period and then the couple would leave together at 4 o’clock when school was over. Crystal green eyes never missed the moment of frustration that passed through cyan eyes every morning.

She watched a dejected Korra saunter off to their 1st period class with a frown on her face and was silent throughout their two classes together. When lunch came around, Kuvira had arrived and was in her usual state of mood of either being uninterested or too jealous if any girls came near Korra. Asami could not wrap her mind around the girl’s behavior since it did not make any sense.

By the time school ended, her digital media teacher pulled her aside to discuss matters of her project. She was made aware that the form and movement of her character design was off. The animation of her character was slightly choppy and needed to be adjusted with more flow in order to make the movements smoother for her grade to be an A. He recommended that she observe the boxers practice in their studio and take notes.

That led her to begin her trek over to the boxing studio besides the gymnasium. She entered in the studio and observed the various boxing bags hung up in a neat line towards the side of the wall with enough space for the boxers around the bag. An elongated mirror covered the length of the wall behind the bags so the boxers could view their stance and their form as they practiced on the bags. In different places there were speed balls and floor to ceiling balls to practice with. There was a sparring ring in the middle of the studio that was large enough for professional fights. The floors were a cool concrete and there were mats in various places.

Asami went up to a bald man with facial hair on his chin and around his mouth. She introduced herself and explained her reason for being there. He kindly gestured for her to grab a seat in front of the ring and she said her thanks as she pulled out a notebook. She smiled when she saw Opal there too. She seemed curious as to why the ravenette was there as she scooted closer.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Just observing the technicalities of their movements and everything for a project. How about you?”

A grin spread on her face as she pointed somewhere off to where the punching bags were, “Bo boxes along with Korra and Mako. I’m here to watch and support.”

Asami followed where Opal had pointed to and saw Bolin with his brother on one of the boxing bags. Mako was holding the back of the bag as Bolin threw various combinations of punches at the front while occasionally moving in his stance as if there was an opponent. The brothers would switch every now and then and Mako would do the same his brother had in his own style. 

She pulled out her notebook and began studying the movements of the various boxers in the room. Asami tensed when he was reading her notes of their movements, but a smile of satisfaction crossed his face. He whistled for all of his members’ attention before he opened his mouth to shout.

“Mako, Korra in the ring! Mako on defense and Korra on offense.”

Asami just now noticed the cyan eyed teen as she came jogging over in a similar uniform to the others which consisted of a red tank top and grey gym shorts. Her muscular arms were out for display and Asami couldn’t help but be impressed by the sheer muscle. Korra had taken off her gloves to adjust her hand wraps and strap her black boxing shoes tighter. She seemed unaware of Asami’s presence as she stepped in the ring where Mako was waiting. He placed on his headgear and popped in his mouth guard.

The two boxers began when the bell sounded. Mako was in his stance as he held his hands up while his eyes followed Korra. The girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet in her stance as lunged forward to throw a flurry of punches. She was going for about every opening she had available to her as she attempted to corner him. Tenzin was circling the outer ring as his brows furrowed.

“Korra stop lunging forward and squaring up! You’re going to waste your energy!” He tsked a moment later before he shouted, “Put your gloves up! Mako would have already jabbed you in the mouth if you were sparring.”

The ravenette was beginning to question whether or not what Mako had told her about Korra’s boxing was true considering the mistakes she was making until Tenzin announced, “Spar!”

There was a sudden hardening of cyan eyes as the girl did not even waste a second to grab her headgear or mouth guard before she adjusted her stance and placed her gloves up. She swiftly bounded away from Mako to the middle of the ring as they began to circle each other. The boy was the first to move with a quick jab to her face, but Asami looked on with astonishment at the outstanding amount of reflex the girl had to almost effortlessly duck and side step before going for a cross at Mako’s face.

Asami watched them with awe at the way Korra effortlessly dancing around the ring as if she was a gust of air. Even rare punches to her unguarded head would leave her unfazed as she blocked any throw her opponent gave her aimed for her side, abdomen, or jaw. It was obvious that she was landing the most punches and if it were an actual match, she would have won by a landslide. Asami found her pencil gliding across her notebook as she only observed the girl in the ring. Her writing came to a halt when the bell sounded and the two partners broke apart after touching gloves for respect like they had done at the beginning of the match.

When Korra went to go grab her water bottle from her duffel did she noticed Asami. She removed her equally red gloves like her shirt and was left in her gray hand wraps. The boxer had an eyebrow raised as she put the water bottle up to her lips. After she chugged a good amount of water to rehydrate herself, she leaned forward of the ropes as they supported her weight. 

“What are you doing here?” The way in which she asked was not at all unkind, but rather curious as she glanced the notebook. 

“Observing your movements for an animation project.” Asami held out the notebook and Korra took it gingerly.

Cyan eyes scanned the page that were covered with notes and little drawings. There were a few rough anatomical sketches drawn of her in the ring in her stance or when she was fighting. Her sketch was more well done rather than Mako’s who was the layout of various shapes that made up his body. She read through the positive notes on the page and a twitch of her lips occurred as she handed the spiral notebook back.

“The excitement in your notes make it seem like you’ve never seen someone box up close before.”

“That’s because I haven’t.” Asami said simply. A look of shock appeared on Korra and Mako’s face.

“You’ve seen anymore form of boxing up close? Not even a competition?” Korra asked dumbly.

“Nope.”

“Then you have to see Korra box tonight! You’d love it!” Mako said with a smile.

“Isn’t the boxing matches with Korra in it sold out or completely filled?”

“I’ll manage to get you a seat don’t you worry about it.”

Asami rubbed the back of her neck as she thought, “I don’t know Mako. My father wants me home early…”

“Just tell him it’s for research.” The other girl pitch in.

The ravenette thought about it for a moment before she nodded her head. She received a broad grin from Mako and a tiny curve of the lips from Korra. She went outside to call her father to tell him she’d be home at around 9 o'clock for research purposes at school. She received the usual banter of her being pathetic, but there was no protest for her staying out late. She walked back in and gave the thumbs up to confirm that she would most definitely be attending the match.

“Great it’s at 7, see you then!” Mako said as he grabbed her bag for her while Korra was in the ring on defense.

* * *

 

Asami left the studio after saying her thanks to Tenzin. The coach had told her if she needed anything more he would be happy to help. She left the school parking lot and drove around town back to her home to adjust her project. Her father was at Future Industries, so the house quiet enough to do her work besides the maids or butlers doing their work.

She popped her flash drive in the computer and pulled up her project. She flipped through her notes and took note of her character’s movements. She added more frames in between each segment to make the movements less choppy and less spastic. The maids came by every now and then to see if she wanted anything to eat or to help assist her. They dropped off various fruits for her to snack on as she worked.

After 2 hours of tedious work, she hit the play button to see her new adjusted animation with a few hundred frames. She smiled as she watched her character do various movements and she noticed that she had unknowingly made her character do various actions that corresponded with Korra’s earlier movements in the ring. She was happy with her work, and once she glanced at the clock, she saw it to be 6:30.

Asami stood from her desk after she saved her work and shut her computer down. She locked the doors to her home as she left and began to go back to the school. When she arrived, she was still 15 minutes early, but the parking lot was already packed with people from other schools, but a large majority of it was from Republic City High.

The ravenette followed the people as they made their way to the gym. There people were handing tickets to the those who volunteered at the door. One little boy the age of a freshman held out his hand expectantly. Her face turned red as she embarrassingly told him she did not have a ticket and he frowned.

“You don’t get in without a ticket as dad says.”

“Meelo! That’s Asami, Mako already told you to let her in when she arrived!” Asami recognized that the voice belonged to Korra. 

Said person came bounding up already in uniform that was mostly the same as her training uniform. Her plain red tanktop had been replaced with one of the same color that said “Republic City Fire Ferrets”. Her hand wraps were already on along with her boxing shoes. There was a thin line of sweat on her forehead to show that she had been prepping for the match. Korra pushed her way past Meelo and grabbed ahold of Asami’s wrist as she pulled her through the crowd.

“Since you’ve never been to one of these I’ll lead you where you’re sitting. Lucky for you, we landed you a seat in the box.”

Asami followed behind the boxer as she was pulled through the wave of people. There were some girls flipping out over Korra walking past them and people cheering for her already from their spots in the stands. Korra waved to some with her free hand, but for the most part she was focused on where she was going to even pay attention. A hum vibrated in Asami’s throat as she took everything in.

“Quite the celebrity are you?”

She didn’t miss the little blush on Korra’s cheeks that spread over her nose, “I guess.”

The boxer led her to a row of seats on the floor of the gym where the ring had been moved to. There were 3 rows on each side about 10 feet away from the ring. In between the 10 feet was a row for the other team members, coaches, and refs. Asami was placed in the front row and noticed two girls already sitting in the chair besides her. Korra instructed her to stay in her seat for the entire match unless it’s important or someone will take her seat before the boxer left to go get ready.

Opal was one of the two girls sitting near her in the same row. She was talking with a girl with dark hair and blue eyes with pale skin. When Opal saw her, she waved with a smile as did the other girl. Asmai greeted the short haired girl first and when she faced the other, she blinked. A look of recognition crossed both of their faces.

“You’re that girl from the mall that Mako talked to.”

“I am and you are?”

“Asami, Mako’s friend.”

A little giggle escaped the ocean blue eyed girl and she covered her smile with her hand, “When I first saw you two in the mall I thought you two were dating, but then when I saw how you two messed with each other, I thought you were brother and sister.” 

“Yeah, I made Mako go talk to you because he wouldn’t have.”

A rosy color flourished on pale cheeks, “Thank you for that. He’s a really nice guy.” She shook her head, “Where are my manners? I’m Haven.”

She took her seat besides Haven. They had an idle conversation and Asami was eager when she found out that Mako had indeed asked her out yesterday and the two were a couple. She was relieved that the girl seemed like a very kind hearted person. Haven ran a hand through her hair as she leaned forward with anticipation.

“Opal told me she was dating Bolin. Do you have anyone special? Is it that girl that led you to you seat?”

She waved her hands dismissively, “Oh no. I’m not dating Korra and I don’t have anyone special.”

Surprise etched on Haven’s face, “I’m surprised. Korra was guarding your seat and she practically shot out of here when she saw you.”

Asami could feel the confusion wash over her face, “I’m sure she was doing that to be nice and plus there was a holdup at the door. She was just coming over so I could get in. Plus she has a girlfriend.”

“Where is her girlfriend now? Why isn’t she here?”

“I have no idea.”

There was a sudden shout of the loudspeakers as the announcer started the tournament. He announced that the winners of this tournament for each class would be the ones to advance to the Finals in February. The boxers currently fighting would be fighting only one opponent they have been assigned to since there is only 6 left in each class. 2 competitors were announced to begin their match and the people from the respective schools cheered for them.

Asami watched the boxers compete, but they were nothing to compared the Fire Ferrets. Bolin and Mako had completed their matches rather swiftly with Bolin knocking out his opponent and Mako winning all three rounds aggressively. There was no wow factor given off by the other other competitors from different schools, maybe a select few, but she could tell everyone in the crowd was waiting for a certain someone to appear in the ring. When the announcer declared that it would now be the start of the Welterweight class, the crowd went wild.

“The Red Sans Rabaroos' Umi against the Fire Ferrets' Korra!”

A stocky girl with dark hair and rather light skin went into the middle of the ring first. Her hair was tied in a bun and her eyes were an equally dark brown as her hair. She stood taller than Korra did by a few inches since Korra stood at 5’5 and Umi at 5’8 like Asami. Korra’s sheer muscle mass caused her to be in the Welterweight category and make the weigh in. 

The bell signal the girls off and Umi was the first to strike. Korra blocked the punch aimed for her face by bobbing. She countered with a blow to the abdomen and when her opponent tried to block the incoming attack, Korra brought up her right hand a straight punch to Umi’s forehead. Her glove made contact with black headgear and Umi’s head violently jerked backward. The crowd went wild at the action and rooted for Korra.

Korra flowed with the grace of air and the smoothness of water. Her footwork was impeccable as she spiraled around the ring while changing her position at any moment Umi went to strike her. The Fire Ferrets' boxer suddenly charged and backed Umi into the corner of the ring as she released a flurry of punches to score her as many points as possible. The crowd was hollering and screeching and Asami winced as the girl on defense pitifully tried to block out the punches until bell sounded and Korra pulled away.

Umi wobbled a little in her place as she shook her head before going in the middle of the ring to begin the last and final round. She was in her orthodox stance while Korra was in the southpaw stance due to her being naturally left handed. The bell dinged and the pair circled each other before Korra was the first to move this time. She faked a left before crouching in her stance and launching at her opponent ferociously. She threw various combinations that left the other girl confused due to her sporadic pattern.

All of a sudden Korra leapt back before adjusting her crouch. She danced around Umi and the taller obviously lacked the energy and endurance to keep up with the shorter. The Fire Ferrets' boxer began throwing light punches that Umi easily parried before in the blink of an eye, Korra fired herself forward and threw a powerful left handed cross to her opponent’s face before snapping her hips to provide extra power to the right hook to her jaw. The taller girl’s head snapped over in the flow of the punch and spittle came from her mouth. 

Umi went tumbling down onto her knees like a falling tree.

Korra was forced into the neutral corner as the refs and Umi’s coach went over to her. She was sitting up in less than 10 seconds and removed her head gear. Her coach was making sure she drank water before she was led out of the ring. Korra was announced the obvious winner and the stands erupted with hollers so loud it could have brought the house down. The boxer waved to the crowd before stepping out of the ring to where Asami and the other girls were along with Mako and Bolin.

“Wow, Korra that was amazing!” Bolin exclaimed as he copied a few of her moves.

She sent him goofy smile before turning her attention Asami with a rather curious look, “So what’d you think of the match? I hope it was worth your time.”

“You truly were amazing out there, I have never seen such skill in an amateur league. You could probably fight professionally easily.”

Korra practically glowed at that and bounced with her victory energy, “You know for a rich girl, you’re not all that bad. Just wait for the race, I’ll knock you off the track!”

“I hope you’re joking because I wouldn’t want to fix your car again since you’re so reckless.” Asami replied with a smirk.

The smile wiped off her face as she huffed, “Whatever.”

Asami checked her clock on her phone and soon said her goodbyes. She left with the crowd since Korra’s weight class was the final one of the night. She drove home with a buzz in her chest for two separate reasons. The first being Mako, Bolin, and Korra’s victories and the second that the cyan eyed teen had lightened up to her to the point where Korra became somewhat pleasant to talk to. She would not call them complete friends, just new acquaintances.

However, it was surely the step in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow sorry I meant to post this Monday afternoon, but I got super side tracked and my fingers are dead from typing this and various scholarship essays.  
> I spent so long writing this and I hope I did a good job for you guys. I don't even know why Haven is in here, but she will probably show up only 2 more times. Gotta give Mako someone to love.  
> Thank you all for the lovely comments, you truly make my day! <3  
> I can't believe there are 108 Kudos and 1300+ hits I honestly don't get it you guys.  
> Love you all and have a wonderful day!  
> -Ash (biggestrainbow on tumblr)
> 
> P.S: NEXT CHAPTER THE RACE WILL FINALLY HAPPEN AFTER 3 CHAPTERS


	6. The Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The race finally takes place. Korra and Asami spend time together. Korra gets something... unexpected and doesn't know how to deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mature ( Not really I think?) /(it's not too explicit but just in case and it's really short and awful)  
> Here's the longest chapter so far!  
> Notes down below!

Today was the day of the race after school between Korra and Asami. Korra was sending the ravenette various challenging looks or bragging about her previous wins to somehow intimidate the other. Asami was not going to lie, she was even playing Korra at her own game at times by sending her smug looks or telling her that she was the top driver in her entire industry. At lunch the two girls were practically having a stare down in a playful manner until Kuvira ‘accidentally’ flicked some bread over that hit Asami’s forehead.

A look of slight annoyance was sent her way by the ravenette as she grew tired of Kuvira. Korra sent her an apologetic look as she veered her girlfriend’s glare off of Asami by putting an arm around her and having idle conversation. The trumpet and saxophone player seemed to be having an important conversation as the two were staring at each other with intensity as they were harshly whispering to each other so they would not get their friends’ attention.

The bell rang and Bolin, Mako, Kuvira, Korra, and Asami walked together to the band classroom. Friday also marked the last day the Jazz Band would be helping out the Wind Symphony. Their help was also unneeded now because they had improved a great deal. They all went to their respective instruments without a word said. Asami practiced her oboe for few minutes before she was called over by Raiko to handle paperwork.

The bell rang and she was still stuck at the desk to finish the massive pile. Raiko said to lock up the office while he went to an important meeting. She rolled her eyes as she let out a little sigh. She shut the blinds on the window that looked into the band room and the door so she could have peace without disturbance. Her pen was scribbling on a notepad as she wrote down the finances for the band trip and the pile next to her slowly becoming smaller.

However, as she came to her last pile, her pen halted on the page.

A soft little whisper of music sneaked its way through the crack of the door. Her ears pricked at the sound and she softly placed her pen down to strain her ears. She recognized the reed like texture to the sound and listened even further and deemed it to be a saxophone. The style in which the person played reminded her of the music that would be at one of her family galas during some slow dances. She swayed in her seat as the song picked up a bit.

As Asami listened, she gave credit to the skill to the one playing the instrument. Curiosity peaked at her and after waiting a minute while listening the song, she wanted to see who was playing the saxophone after school for no apparent reason. So she wouldn’t disturb the saxophonist by opening the door, she peeked through the blinds. Her eyes widened as she took in Korra standing perpendicular to her with her mouthpiece in between her teeth.

Korra had her headphones in, most likely listening to the accompaniment, while her fingers glided across the keys. There were two stands lines up side by side in front of her with the sheet music on them while her eyes scanned the page as she played. At moments her eyes would close since she memorized that section of music and seemed lost in the piece.

The song was slow and light in the beginning but as the minutes went by it progressed to a more upbeat tune. The slow tune grew into a more fast pace as more notes were added to the measure. At this time, Korra seemed completely enveloped in her music at this time and her shoulders and body were moving along with her as she expressed her music. All of a sudden, the highest note from a high school saxophonist she had ever heard screamed out of the bell of the saxophone for a few brief moments. The scream would have been mistaken for a wrong note to anyone inexperienced, but Asami wanted to cheer for the achievement of hitting such a high note.

About a minute later, the saxophonist drifted off and removed her mouthpiece from her mouth. Asami couldn’t help but open the door and clap her hands. Korra had just placed her mouthpiece back in her mouth and when she heard the clapping through her headphones, a squeak screeched from the instrument and the two girls flinched at the sound. Cyan eyes frantically searched around the room before they landed on the pale ravenette. Red tinted her cheeks and she sputtered.

“How-How long have you been there?”

“Since the bell rang.” She replied simply as she leaned against the door frame, “What were you playing?”

Korra removed her headphones and seemed to overcome the surprise, “ _Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You_. I was playing along with Kaori Kobayashi’s recording.”

“Well you sounded amazing.”

Her cheeks turned a rosy color, “Thanks.”

The pair stood there awkwardly and Korra fiddled with the keys on her alto sax. The keys popped as they were pressed and through the popping there was a vibration. A tan hand shot to her back pocket with a series of curses muttered under her breath as she searched for her phone. She slid her thumb across the screen and pressed the phone against her ear.

“Hey, what- calm down. I’m in the band room practicing for a gig.” Her movements showed agitation as she disassembled her saxophone forcefully with the phone pressed against her ear and shoulder, “I’ll be at your house in an hour I have to let Naga out,” she paused, “I’m not delaying seeing you, I have things to do. I missed practice last week to see you remember?”

There was a sudden silence as Korra placed the last part of her instrument in her case and locked it shut. She removed the phone from her ear and glanced at the screen, which now on the home screen, before sighing. However, she accidentally knocked the stand and it went crashing down along with 4 sheets of music.

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Asami gingerly bent down to hand Korra the fallen music by her feet and the girl muttered a thanks before she locked her case in her locker. She slung her backpack over her shoulder with her keys in hand as she made her way to the door. When she reached it, she turned back to the ravenette with a twitch of the lips.

“You know you can still back out of the race.”

“As can you.” Asami snickered when the other rolled their eyes with a wave of the hand as they left.

* * *

 

When it hit 7 o’clock, Asami pulled up to the muddy track with her manual Satomobile. The track Mako texted her to be at was actually quite large in wide field setting.  The track was not paved, but rather flattened with long tendrils of unkempt grass up the sides like a barrier. She had the disadvantage of it not being on paved road, but nevertheless she stepped out of her car to find a group of people she recognized already waiting there.

There was the entire boxing team and the regular group from lunch there minus Kuvira. She recognized Tenzin’s children amongst the crowd. There were only about 20 people there compared to the usual of 50 or more. There were in a crowd by the starting line and lined up against the sides of the track. Mako rushed to meet her and surprisingly enough another face appeared. She blinked at Tahno and he just slyly smirked at her.

“Long time no see, Sato.”

She leaned against her car with her arms folded, “Tahno.”

He chuckled as he moved next to her. Mako kept his distance, but a scowl appeared on his face as he went to move closer. The other tsked at the action and waved his hand at Mako as if he were gesturing for something to go away.

“Asami, can you call off your guard dog?” Asami sent him a look and Mako, with a look of disbelief on his face, backed away back to the crowd.

“That’s better.”

“What do you want, Tahno?” She asked impatiently.

He feigned hurt, “After growing up in the same neighborhood as children and playing together, this is how you treat me?”

She shouldered him a bit, “Well you did leave me alone in Republic City High when you chose to go to White Falls High. The last time we saw each other was when I beat you at racing a few months ago.”

Instead of becoming snarky with her at his reminded loss, he snickered. His dark eyes met her crystal green ones and he released a slight airy laugh. The two childhood playmates began catching up on what they missed in the past few months. When she began telling him how the challenge started with his loss to Korra, did his face turn nasty.

“So, the Uh-vatar thinks just because she finally beat me after 20 attempts, she can challenge you. Well it’s going to be a shock for her when she realizes how great of a racer you are.”

“To be fair, in those 20 attempts, your methods of racing were questionable.” She glanced at him out of her corner of her eye and he understood that she was talking about his cheating methods.

“Doesn’t matter now-”

He paused when he heard Mako’s voice calling for her to start. Asami got in her car to pull up to the starting line and she braked when he tapped on her window. He leaned down and with a smooth voice he said,

“Do me a favor and kick the Uh-vatar’s ass.”

A laugh escaped her throat, “I’ll try.”

Tahno stepped away from the car and Asami pulled her car up to the starting line. Korra’s Camaro, that was still in the condition it was when it left the shop, was already there. Cyan eyes flickered her direction for a moment before Korra adjusted herself in her seat with her hands gripping the steering wheel. Asami revved up her engine properly, but Korra was far more enthusiastic as she made her engine roar violently. Asami was sure that there was going to be fire at some point coming from underneath the hood.

“One lap around the track!”

Bolin moved to the center of the starting line between the two cars with a white cloth. He held it above his head and as soon as his hand let go of the cloth they were off. Asami had the quickest reaction as her car shot forward down the dirt track with Korra’s barrelling after her with her foot pressed to the floor. Korra was positioned on the outer side, but was quick to veer into the middle to cut her off and block her from advancing past her.

She could hear her tires scrap the dirt and flick rocks from the track. They were still flying down the long stretch of dirt track and the long field grass was a blur to them. Asami’s brows were furrowed as she tried to find an opening in the time left that she had before the turn. The track was exceptionally large and well suited for a one lap race, but the terrain was not pleasant and added another thing to keep in check before she advanced.

The first turn was rather short and it required a right turn. Korra’s wide turn allowed her to sneak in and when the turn was complete she was side by side with the other teen. The blue car’s engine growled as it was pushed forward and Asami changed the gear shift back to its original place. There were nearly scraping each other through the next left turn. While the zoomed down the third stretch of road as the approached a right turn, the ravenette felt a shove against the side of her car.

She turned her head for a brief second and saw Korra with a tight grip on the steering wheel and a frustrated expression. Her wheel leaned her direction and Asami snapped out of the way so the two cars would not make contact. With a huff, she waited for the next attempt. Right before the turn, the blue Camaro went over to her direction and she smirked. As quick as she could, she changed gears and switched her foot to the break. Korra’s car went nearly off the track and Asami’s sleek red and black Satomobile made the turn and shot forward past the other.

Korra was quick to recover and followed Asami. Her foot slammed down against the pedal and she skillfully made the second to last turn. Asami was still on the inside as Korra was on the outside on the left side of the track. Their cars were going so fast on the stretch of dirt road, the ravenette thought she was going to blow a tire at any moment if she were to hit a sharp rock or nail. The last and final turn that would meet the finish line once it was completed was only several hundred feet away.

A look of pure concentration crossed her pale face as time seemed to slow. Korra was leaning towards her steering wheel as if it would help her go faster and Asami had a white knuckle grip on the leather steering wheel and gear shift. Her heart beat with anticipation as the final turn came. The two driver’s wheel snapped to make the turn and a pale hand also adjusted the gear shift. However, as they performed the turn, her heart nearly stopped as something went gravely wrong.

She moved to make the tight turn, as did Korra, but the track was too narrow for the two cars to perform it at the same time. Asami’s reflex was faster as her hand quickly adjusted the gear shift and her foot slammed on the brake. Her car’s end went sliding and she flew towards the finish line sideways. She used all her force to adjust the steering wheel to counteract the awkward angle so her car wouldn’t roll. When her car went sideways, she felt her tail end hit something solid. All she could hear was the protesting screeching of the tires from both cars and the smell of smoke as the tires were forced to break.

Right as she skidded over the finish line, she heard the unmistakable sound of a car rolling.

She calculated about 3 rolls before Asami was able to jump out of her car and run over to Korra. Some people were frozen in their spots, but Mako and Bolin were quick to follow her. Several hundred feet away, Korra’s car sat upright, but severely dented on the roof, hood, and sides. Asami could tell from the track marks that she made, the girl was luckily able to skid long enough when she veered off the track to slow the car down before it flipped. There was debris everywhere and windshield was shattered.

As they approached the car, they heard the shattering of glass. Korra had kicked out the remaining glass on her side so she could escape the car since the door was unusable. She struggled to avoid the glass and she fell out of the car onto the grass before she stood and brushed herself off. Her dark blue tee shirt was ripped at the shoulder and her jeans were dirty. There was a small wound to her hand, but there was a patch of blood on her forehead and scalp that dripped onto her cheek.

“Korra, are you alright?!” Mako shouted and the girl turned towards the 3 people running at her.

“Yeah, I’m okay! I think I finally totalled my car though…”

“Who gives a shit about your car? You could’ve been killed!” Mako exclaimed and Bolin lifted her up in a hug as he squeezed her tightly.

Asami approached her and removed her purple tee shirt she had over her black longsleeve shirt. She ripped a long stretch of fabric to tie around her head, “Here, this will stop the bleeding. Come over to my car, I have a first aid kit there.”

Korra followed obediently and Asami sat her down in the front seat. She went around the passenger side to grab the first aid kit. The pair didn’t say anything for the first few moments as Asami wiped away the blood on tan skin. The ravenette was relieved to see it was just a rather long cut on her scalp that wasn’t too deep and it wouldn’t require stitches. It had already stopped bleeding so Asami just dabbed the cut clean with an alcohol wipe.

Korra hissed at the stinging and burning sensation, “Ah, that burns.”

Asami snorted, “You just flipped your car about 3 times and walked away from it with a few cuts and you’re complaining about the alcohol wipe?”

An airy laugh escaped her throat, “Well I guess I can’t complain… and congrats on your win.”

Crystal green eyes met cyan curiously. She shook her head, “You crashed, we can have a re match if you want.”

“Nah, you were already over the finish line before I flipped.”

She was not upset about losing as much as Asami thought she would have considering Mako’s prediction previously. There was a little disappointment swimming in blue eyes, but there was a small smile on her face that left no room for argument. Asami nodded her head and finished cleaning up the rest of the small cuts before moving to Korra’s right hand. The cut there was slightly deeper than the one on her forehead, but it was not enough for stitches. She must have sliced her palm on the glass at a point and it cut all the way across. The ravenette wrapped up the wound with bandage after placing gauze over the cut. Just as she began to pull away from her, a calloused hand gently gripped a pale wrist.

“You got hurt.” She said simply as she rolled up the sleeve a bit to reveal a red bruise on her wrist.

Asami quickly and calmly pulled her sleeve down to cover the newly formed bruise her father gave her before she left the house. She shrugged, “Must’ve hit the inner door when the car stopped abruptly. It’s nothing.”

Korra frowned and muttered, “If I wasn’t driving like an idiot, this wouldn’t have happened. I should have slowed down at the turn. I knew the both of us wouldn’t make it at the same time.”

“I should’ve done the same, but I didn’t. Our desire to win caused this. It is just as much as my fault.”

She went to argue, but the ravenette shot her a look that said ‘ _don’t even think about it’._ They both stood from the car and Korra said her thanks and congratulated her again. Korra stood around awkwardly as she fiddled with her phone in her hand. Green eyes watched as Mako and Bolin came up to her several times and she brushed them off. They left soon after and the two that remained were Asami and Korra. The taller approached the shorter.

“How are you going to get home?”

“I’m thinking about calling my parents, but I really don’t want to worry my mother right now. I might just walk.”

“I can drive you.” She offered and the other turned to her surprised.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, come on. I hope you don’t mind we stop to eat, I’m starving.”

“I know a great diner on the way to my house.”

Asami smiled, “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

About 15 minutes into the drive back, Korra told her to slow down once they approached the diner. It was an old looking diner that had 50s feel to it with checkerboard floors and red booths with white tables. There was a jukebox in the corner playing soft jazz and the lady in a 50s style pink waitress dress told them to take a seat anywhere they would like. The pair chose a booth near the corner of the diner with the window looking out into the street. They scooted into their booths across from each other.

The waitress was quick to take their order and Asami got what Korra had ordered since she had never been here before and Korra had. They sat in silence for a minute or two before Korra cleared her throat and awkwardly got her attention. When crystal green eyes met cyan blue, did she think of something to say.

“So what is with you and pretty boy?”

It took a moment for Asami to realize who she was talking about and she laughed, “Tahno? Oh nothing, we were childhood playmates before he went to White Falls High.”

“How are you even friends with a jerk like him?” Korra asked incredulously.

The ravenette sipped on her water that was brought out moments ago, “Well, he is my maternal cousin also, so that’s a factor that is kind of hard to ignore.”

The other girl inhaled a bit of her drink and coughed, “ _Cousins?_ ”

She hummed, “Yep, cousins. He lived in the same neighborhood as me when we were younger and we were playmates while our fathers’ did business at their companies.”

“Oh okay… that makes sense I guess.”

Their food arrived shortly after and Korra was quick to take a bite of the monstrous burger she had. Asami felt slightly intimidated by it and began to understand the look she had gotten from the waitress when she ordered it. The waitress’s eyes had done a quick once over of her thin frame before she shrugged and went off to the kitchen. Needless to say, this burger could probably devour her first it was so enormous. There was also a large basket of fries in the middle of both of them, which Korra greedily took from as did she. When Asami was only 3 bites into her monstrous burger, to her surprise, Korra was already halfway done. The other girl then picked up a fry and threw it into her mouth and spoke right after.

“I have to admit, it’s nice that you don’t drive like pretty boy.”

Asami chuckled, “What? You mean by cheating when he ‘accidentally’ runs you off the track or his friends just so happen to drop nails in the road?”

“He’s done that to you too?

“Of course! I grew up with him and taught him out to race. I always beat him though despite his cheating.” The ravenette said playfully with a hint of smugness.

Korra took a bite of her burger before she spoke, “I believe it, you are a great driver.”

Asami’s cheeks turned a slight pink, “Yeah well, you’re an amazing driver too. Your racing matches your boxing style. Fiery passion that nearly hits a tipping point.”

She chuckled, “I think I reached the tipping point by barrel rolling my car. I still can’t believe how fast your reflexes are when you are driving shift! I drive automatic because my brain can’t focus on switching gears and racing the same time.”

“When you learn how to drive a shift it becomes a second nature like playing your instrument and reading the music; you don’t have to focus on both so hard, your mind takes over one job naturally.”

“I hear you play you know,” When Asami tilted her head, Korra continued on as she chewed a fry, “Your oboe and flute, it’s really…”

“Really what?” The ravenette asked inquisitively as the other tried to grasp a word for it. For a moment she was worried she was going to hear something negative about her skill due to their first encounter in band.

“Soothing. Even with an oboe being odd and a flute rather pitchy at times, you know just how to play them. Some of the music you play reminds me of the stuff my mom would play when I was a kid to get me to sleep.”

Asami didn’t have anything to say in response. Korra’s cyan eyes seemed to drift off into a thoughtful state of mind as if she was envisioning her past. The fire in her eyes left for a moment as she sighed softly and was lost in whatever she saw. Asami decided to be daring as she flicked a fry in Korra’s general direction. It landed directly on her nose and her blue eyes went cross eyed. A giggle escaped her at the startled expression on the other’s face and she covered her mouth with her hand. The boxer simply stared at her before she sent her a crooked smile.

“Nice aim.”

A vibration broke their silence and Korra was quick to hit the ignore button without even glancing at the caller. The phone then exploded with a series of vibrations that left the phone in a constant hum against the table. Crystal green eyes flickered from the phone to Korra and back to the phone. The owner of said phone took the gesture and she checked who was calling her. She cringed before she swiped her thumb over the screen.

“Hey, Kuvira…” She greeted uneasily and the comfortable atmosphere shifted into hard silence.

All Asami could hear was a constant unintelligible speech on the other end. Korra’s face was set and did not give anything. She had little reaction to anything as if she heard this conversation a thousand times before. However, the muscle in her jaw suddenly twitched as she clamped her mouth shut as if to prevent her from speaking.

“Babe, the reason I didn’t come over your house tonight was- Kuvira. I can’t explain if you keep jumping to conclusions.” She made a little sound of frustration, “It’s not that I don’t want to see you, I was in the race I told you about and you didn’t want to go to. Plus, I saw you before the race.”

Asami detected the slight increase of agitation in the other girl as she was on the phone, and if her hearing was correct, Kuvira’s voice was steadily growing louder on the other end. Cyan blue eyes met hers apologetically as she rubbed her forehead with her hand as her elbow was propped against the table. She was like that for a few seconds before her hand went slack from her face and onto the table. She abruptly stood from her seat and made her way to the door and stood outside to finish the call.

From where she was sitting, she could see Korra outside the window pacing on the sidewalk with more expression in her face as her lips moved rapidly. Asami shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she was the only customer in the diner after Korra left to go outside. The waitress informed her it was closing time and it would be best to take the rest of her food home. She paid and took her left overs, and only hers since Korra somehow managed to eat all of her food, and she made her way out the doors.

Luckily for her, Korra had just took the phone away from her face. She leaned against the pole closest to her as her eyes trained upwards. She must have detected Asami’s footsteps because she turned and did her best to put a smile on her face. Her eyes then flickered to the take out bag and the sign that just turned from open to closed before she patted her pockets.

“Oh crap, sorry I made you pay the bill. How much do I owe you?” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a worn out brown leather wallet that looked like a father would pass down to a son.

Asami just shook her head and walked past her to the car. Korra followed suit and they both silently went into the car. About halfway into the drive to Korra’s house, the girl was apologizing for the bill and abruptly leaving again. The ravenette merely nodded her head in understanding, but Korra didn’t miss the quick flicker of her eyes constantly going from the road to the clock within the car. When the clock hit 10 o’clock, there was a distinct tightening of her grip on the wheel before a sigh escaped her lips and she melted in her seat.

“Everything okay?”

Asami blinked as she seemed to sink further in her seat, “Hm? Oh yes, everything’s fine. I just tend to usually go to sleep at 10 so I’m quite tired.”

Her voice had lost whatever playfulness it had earlier and just seemed rather monotone and tired. However, she still forced a little reassuring smile which did not entirely convince Korra. However, the girl could not ponder it entirely as she realized she was approaching her street. She told Asami the direction and the girl turned the wheel sharply at the delayed instructions. Her speed slowed down and she followed exactly what she was told until she pulled up into the driveway of Korra’s two story house.

“Thanks for the drive, see you tomorrow.”

“See you at school.”

Korra had just shut the door when Asami began pulling out of the driveway. If Korra didn’t move her feet fast enough, she was sure her toes would have been run over. She took one glance at the retreating car before she went inside to face her parents. She could tell they already received the news of her latest accident judging by the way the lights were still on at 10 at night.

* * *

 

Korra was glad she prepared herself when she stepped through the door to say the least.

She was nearly blindsided by her mother who came charging at her like a bull. Her mother wrapped around her arms around her daughter and hugged her for a moment before pulling back and giving a quick slap to her tan cheek. The youngest yelped and she glanced over at her father who was shaking his head.

“Korra, my baby, are you hurt? Do I need to take you to the hospital to see Katara? Mako told us you got into an accident while racing!”

“Mom, I’m fine-”

“And you cut your head and hand!” Her mother was fawning over her and Korra grumbled as she pushed her mother’s hands away.

“ _Mom, I’m okay_!”

“What happened? Mako didn’t give us the details.” Her father’s voice boomed and she could tell he was letting his wife check for injuries while he looked for any sign of pain in her movements. She could see just as much concern in his eyes.

She hesitated as she rubbed the back of her neck. Her father gave her this look that didn’t allow her to sugarcoat it so she tried to make the sentence come out of her mouth, “I may have… flipped.... while racing.”

“ _Korra!_ ” Both her parents exclaimed. Her mother’s voice was a screech and her father’s was in more of a shout.

“You could have died!”

“I’m not paying to have your car fixed this time!”

“You need to cut it out with the dangerous driving!”

Her parents went on with similar shouting and she ducked in head. She then heard her father exhaled loudly through his nose. She felt a large bear like hand grip her left shoulder and a smaller dainty one with a mother like touch. She glanced up at both of them, and they had a serious expression on their faces.

“Korra, I will let you use my car only for driving to and from school. No racing. You also will be working at the restaurant to pay to fix your car if you want to race again- Ah ah let me finish. Your mother and I are both relieved you’re okay, but do you realized the scare you gave us when Mako called us saying you got into an accident and you don’t show up for another 3 hours?”

She winced as she realized her mistake. Her parents were probably worried sick that their only child was coming home so late after a car accident. For all she knew between those three hours, they could have thought that she was dead on a street corner or in a coma in the hospital. She should’ve called her parents as soon as it happened.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve called you. I meant to when I was with Asami at the diner.”

Her parents glanced at each other and her father, although still tense from the scare of the possibility of his child being hurt, raised his eyebrow with a snicker.

“Who’s this _Asami_?”

“The girl I raced.” Korra replied shortly.

Her father nudged her on the shoulder, “The girl you won against?”

“No.”

“No?” They both sounded surprised and they were even more so at the lack of foul mood from her defeat.

“Nope. We both went for the final turn at the same time and her reflexes were faster than mine. I watched her slide over the finish line before I flipped.” She suddenly grinned as she recalled the events, “It was amazing dad, you should’ve seen her! I’ve never seen anyone drive like she has…”

Her parents merely glanced at each other before shrugged. Her father shook his head with a slight chuckle as his wife herded her into her room. Naga followed closely behind and excitedly jumped up to finally get quality time with her owner. After Korra had taken her shower, she placed on a pair of blue boxer shorts and a black tee shirt. She shut off the lights in her room and cuddled up to Naga as she closed her eyes. Sleep greeted her like an old friend.

* * *

 

_A crash sounded as a back was slammed against the wall. Thin but strong legs wrapped around Korra's waist as a gasp slipped past the girl's lips. Lips messily met each other with passion that ignited a fire in Korra's chest that only spurred her to want more. She was the first to break free from the kiss as her lips peppered kisses along the other's jaw line and down the column of a pale throat. She nipped and bit at flesh to leave marks which in response cause a hand to weave through dark brown hair and tug while the other lightly grazed her blunt nails across her shoulders and back._

_"Bed." The voice was an echo in her mind and in the middle of the haziness she felt, she complied._

_Korra's hands gripped soft flesh of the other's rear as she walked to the bed with the other still wrapped around her. She ignored the feeling in her chest that something was wrong and continued her actions. Her hot hand met cool skin as she slid it down to the small of the other's pale back. Korra had never thought clothing could feel as uncomfortable until this very moment where she craved skin on skin contact. She could hear the ripping of buttons from fabric and a whine of protest, but she couldn't careless. Cold hands helped remove her shirt and pants and neither were satisfied until they were left just in their undergarments._

_Korra lowered herself down until their chests touched and suddenly her face was pulled down. Soft lips met her own and her hand slid down beautiful curves until it stopped on the side of a pale thigh. Her other hand wove its way through dark hair. When her lips trailed down to the sensitive spot just behind the ear and sucked, a moan reached her ears and nails dug into her back. It only encouraged Korra more as her mouth trailed down to soft and supple breasts. She nipped at the sensitive skin as their hips rocked against each other desperately for some form of friction._

_She was breathless when she was suddenly flipped over on her back. The sudden position changed left her speechless, but her pupils were blown with lust. She panted as she felt the weight of the lithe body above her straddle her waist. Lips latched onto her throat and there was one bite that caused a little cry to escape her throat before a tongue ran over to soothe the wound. Not liking being the submissive one, she growled as she placed her hands on curvy hips and changed their position back to the original. Her hands trailed down to the waistband of black panties. Her fingers hooked around the waistband and she was about to remove them. Cyan eyes met the hooded lustful eyes of her partner below her. All of Korra's actions halted as they locked eyes._

_The color did not match the forest green eyes of her girlfriend she realized. She found herself staring straight into crystal green pools that belong only to Asami Sato._

* * *

Korra shot up in her bed with a gasp. Her hand ended up knocking her pillow across the room in the process and Naga raised her head from the floor curiously. A thin line of sweat clung to her body and it caused her hair to stick to her forehead. Her chest was heaving and she felt an uncomfortable throbbing between her legs accompanied by wetness. She took several took several gulps of breath and the short and wild dream played in her head. It took her another moment before she could even speak in a pant.

"What...the... _fuck_." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I start my notes: I APOLOGIZE FOR THE AWFUL DREAM WHATEVER IT WAS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER. THAT WAS PROBABLY THE WORST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN BUT IT WAS ALSO MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT THAT. IT NEEDED TO BE THERE FOR THE SAKE OF PLOT.
> 
> Anyway,
> 
> *hides and waves from a distance*  
> Sorry for the wait! I know I said there would be an update soon, but I've just barely been balancing classes and college classes, boxing, and 3 bands (a different instrument for each band) as well as writing scholarships and resumes. I've also been talking to my Navy recruiter. It just all hit me at once and I swear I've never wanted to just fall in a hole and die more than now.  
> I had actually finished this chapter a while ago on paper in the middle of classes along with most of the next, so hopefully I can type that up for you guys!  
> And 1973 Hits and 151 Kudos? I can't believe it!  
> Love you all!  
> -Ash (biggestrainbow on tumbr)


	7. Where are you, Stranger?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which now Korra thinks the best way to deal with the dream is avoid Asami. Turns out she is very awkward in between cause things never work out her way.  
> Oh! And Asami's got a date.

Korra’s breathing calmed down after a few moments. Her eyes were flickering around the room as she tried to find something to distract her for the time remaining before she had to go to school for the weekend band rehearsal. When she did not find anything in the span of a minute, she rose from her bed and trudged over to her shower in the darkness. She tripped over Naga in the process and the dog let out a yip.

She turned the shower on the coolest level possible and she was relieved to feel the icy water trail down her back and over her skin. The cold water snapped her awake and she sighed as her placed her forehead on the tile wall. She took deep breaths as she calmed her heart rate down but it was still something thumping loudly in her ears yet only slowly. The cold water was like a chill down her spine and time seem to move slowly as she stood there. Her thoughts seemed blank, but the image of the dream was still playing through her mind every so often.

Only when she heard her Saturday alarm clock screaming from a distance did she stepped out of the shower. She scrambled to wrap herself in a towel and padded off into her bedroom and cursed to herself as she realized she forgot to turn her alarm off. Korra switched off the button before going to her closet to get dressed. She had another couple of hours before she would have to go to her band rehearsal. There was nervousness settled in her chest, but to say she was anxious would be a bit of an overstatement.

She was in a relationship for Raava’s sake. She felt more shame that the dream did not entail of her with her girlfriend, but rather someone she had recently just begun to talk to. She couldn’t help but feel it as a form of cheating in a way and she did not know how she could face the two girls despite it only being a measly dream.She was being pathetic about it and overthinking it, she knew, but she ignored that. Without any more thought put into it, she dressed herself in her usual casual attire and went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. She found her mother there standing and watching her with an amused expression on her face, but there was also some concern there as well.

“Didn't sleep well, dear?”  asked her mother.

“Not really... Just some weird dreams, but don't worry about it mom.” she replied with a yawn. 

Her mother seemed to shrug off the subject, “Well, I’m glad you woke up considering the crash,” Korra shot her mother a look that said  _ ‘Mom, I told you a million times I’m alright’  _ “But if they are just weird dreams, everyone has them. What time is your band rehearsal again?”

“12 to 3.” Her eyes flickered over to the clock and saw it to be 9 in the morning. 

Since she was in no hurry to eat her breakfast, the fork slowly made its way to her mouth. Her father came out into the kitchen a few moments later and greeted his daughter with a ruffle of her hair and she swatted away his hand playfully. The family ate their breakfast together and had idle chat about Korra’s upcoming sport events, her parent’s work, how their business was going, and whether or not her parents planned to take some time off which they so needed.

Korra went back up to her room and checked her phone to see if she had gotten anything for Kuvira. She frowned when her phone turned up blank, but she just tossed the electronic on her bed and began playing video games. She played through Mortal Kombat X for about an hour before switching games. She hung off her bed upside down most of the time as she held the controller above her. She was pulled out of her gaming mode when she heard her phone buzzing.

After saying her goodbyes to her parents, she left her house after grabbing her father’s truck keys from the counter. Her finger tapped on the steering wheel as she made her way to school. She followed behind some other cars as they made their way back onto the campus for the rehearsal. When she pulled into the parking lot, she found a very distinct sleek red and black car already parked in the parking lot. Korra pulled up about 3 parking spots away from Asami’s car before she stepped out and jogged with the crowd to the band room before they were late. 

As soon as she entered the band room, she assembled her saxophone together and saw that Kuvira was already sitting amongst the other trumpet players. She was in the middle of a conversation with Baatar Jr. and not wanting to get in another argument, she left them be and simply placed her reed in her mouth. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a silky voice sliced through the air as a certain ravenette stood next to her.

“Mumbling to yourself, are you?”

Korra glanced up and saw Asami staring at her with amusement in her eyes. She was dressed in an over-sized long sleeve maroon sweater with a pair of dark ripped jeans and black flats. Even though Asami was dressed more casual and comfortable than she was, Korra still felt slightly under dressed despite it just being a band rehearsal. She was in the middle of placing her mouthpiece on her saxophone when images of the dream popped in her mind and she fumbled. Her saxophone was resting at the edge of her case, but the sudden movement cause it to slid off and crash to the ground. Korra shook her head and scrambled after her instrument which lay on its side.

She examined the keys and was relieved nothing was dented, but she stiffened when she heard giggling. Asami had a pale hand placed over her mouth to stifle her smile and giggles. Korra’s cheeks burned red and she connected her neck strap to her instrument to avoid another fall. The ravenette was still giggling as her crystal green eyes were directed at Korra.

“You looked like you saw a ghost.”

“Uh....yeah.” Korra chuckled awkwardly and usually she would be laughing at herself in cases like these, but her throat suddenly felt tight, “Well I’m going to go check the on the saxophones… that’s why I’m here after all.”

Asami raised an eyebrow as the brunette left. The girl look like she hardly had slept last night, but she perked up when she was around the other saxophones. Asami did not get too much time to ponder it when Opal came bounding up to her. She bounced in place for a moment as she hummed while looking in Korra’s direction. She had a light curious look on her face.

“So, what was up with Miss Clumsy McFumbles just two seconds ago?”

“I have no idea to be quite honest.”

Opal hummed again before turning her attention to Asami fully. Her eyes roamed over her face before she asked, “So, are you single?”

“I’m sorry?” Asami asked in disbelief.

“Are you single?”

“Yes…aren’t you in a relationship?”

Opal let out an airy laugh, “Oh yes I am, but don’t worry I am not interested in you. I overheard Mako say that you were interested in girls.”

“What does that have to do with me being single?”

“Well, seeing that you seem to be the only one in the group without someone special, I decided to be the one to help you out!”

Asami stared at her for a few seconds to judge on whether or not the other girl was serious. When no indication of a joke made itself known, she crossed her arms, “I’m perfectly fine being single.”

The other girl realized her mistake, “Oh, I meant nothing by it! I just thought you wouldn’t want to be a mega third wheel if we ever went out in a group together.”

As Asami thought about it, it didn’t seem entirely too appealing. She had Mako to talk to during school, but other than that, if they had a group with everyone bringing their partners, she would be the odd one out. However, she wasn’t particularly looking for a relationship considering how busy she was. She shook her head.

“I have too many responsibilities as of the moment and a relationship would only distract me from that.”

“Let’s make a compromise. I set you up on a blind date and you go.” Asami opened her mouth to protest, but Opal was quick to cut her off, “Let me finish! Now I’m not saying you have to continue dating this person afterwards, it’s just for the experience. You have to live a little, you’re too high strung!”

“I don’t know…”

“Please just this once! I’ll never make you do it again and this girl I have in mind is nice and good looking and totally not a creep!” Opal was pouting and her lip was quivering as she watched Asami mull things over in her mind like she was calculating the pros and cons. One look at the smaller girl and the ravenette sighed.

“Just this once.”

“Great, it will be tonight at 6! Dress nice, it’s at  _ Glacial Spirits _ .”

Opal was already off when Asami exclaimed, “ _ Tonight? _ ”

The ravenette sighed as she went back to her chair. With some irritation, she picked up her flute and began playing when Raiko started the rehearsal. Everyone went to their respectful positions and no one really said a word as the rehearsal went on since everyone was too tired to function. There were french horn players falling asleep in their seats as they crossed their arms over their horn and had their head down like they were at a desk. Asami glanced back towards Korra and the girl was sitting in her seat and made eye contact with crystal green. She stiffened and broke eye contact as she wrote things in her music, but not without dropping her pencil.

Korra soon became her usual self as the hours dragged on. When everyone was told to pack up, Korra placed her things in her locker before she went over to Kuvira. Forest green eyes had not looked up from their place and she spoke to her girlfriend without any interest. They had idle conversation and quickly ran out of things to discuss and Korra twiddled her thumbs awkwardly before standing to leave. She passed Asami on the way out and the ravenette sent her a little wave with a smile, but Korra simply cleared her throat as if she had something in it and exited the room without a sense of returning the gesture. Asami’s arm limply fell to her side with a slightly crestfallen look.

* * *

Asami soon stopped at a gas station to fuel up her vehicle. She shut the door and entered the little convenience store that smelled of heavily of smoke. The man standing at the counter had his headphones in as he stared on with a dead look as the minutes ticked on. She placed the 20 dollar bill on the counter and said which number gas pump she was at before turning around. The man standing outside began pumping gas in her car.

She pondered if she wanted anything from the gas station as she eyed the various candies, but eventually thought against it since she was going to be having dinner in a few hours. She removed her cell phone from her back pocket and began skimming through her emails as she exited to her car after she saw that the man removed the pump and went back to his position of sitting in the shade waiting for the next person for him to service. The bell from the door dinged as she left and she was about five steps from her car before an ‘oof’ was added heard as she collided head on with another person. Her phone fell from her hand and landed on the sidewalk face down, she went to pick it up but a hand intercepted her and gently handed it back.

“It seems okay, sorry about- oh… hey, Asami.”

Crystal green shot up from the condition of her phone to find Korra standing right in front of her. The girl was standing oddly stiff like she had a rod for a spine and her shoulders were square. Cyan blue eyes did not meet crystal green, but instead went to the floor and watched a flew leaves tumble away as the wind carried them. 

“Do you enjoy following me?” Asami teased with a hint of a giggle.

“I was not following you!” Korra replied a little too defensively.

Any mirth that Asami may have had quickly vanished as she stared at the other girl for a few moments. There was something odd going on that soured Korra’s mood to the point where she was being short and unlike her playful self when she would usually give a sharp, but witty, comment back. Asami tilted her head.

“Is everything okay? Is it relationship troubles?”

“No, but what would you know about relationship troubles?”

Asami stood a little straighter, “I beg your pardon?”

Korra shoved her hands in her pockets, “Well your life is consumed by those books and school work. I don’t think you would be very good on giving me relationship advice if I had troubles, which I don’t, since you haven’t had a relationship I’ve noticed. You also never talk about one.”

The ravenette furrowed her brows and she felt as if a switch had been flipped, “For your information, I have had my fair share of relationships, but whether or not I am in one now does not deem whether or not I am capable of giving advice when I would like to be helpful. I also do not have to flaunt my love life around like some party balloon because it is my personal business unless I wish to discuss it. You, however,-” She pointed a finger against the brunette’s chest and the other girl shrunk back a bit, “should not be so quick to judge. I do not know what is making you so sour today, but it would be best if you do not take you anger out on the people trying to help you.”

She stormed off back to her car, leaving the other girl speechless in her wake. She sat down in the leather seats and strapped herself in before rolling down the window. Cyan eyes watched her and she did not move position.

“By the way, I do in fact have a date tonight. Good day.”

The tires squealed upon her exit.

* * *

Asami went back to her shop for a couple of hours before she returned home to wash the dirt and grease from her hands and arms after working on a few old cars. She jumped in the shower and the house was oddly quiet. The servants must’ve been gone she deemed and her father at work. The steam filled the room as she turned the shower on hot. She entered the near scalding water and sighed in contentment as she washed away the dirt of the day before her date.

A date, she sighed.

She wasn’t particularly looking forward on a going on a date with a complete stranger just in case they had connections to her father, but she trusted Opal’s judgement. She hadn’t actually been on a date for a while she realized. The last few dates had been with men her father set her up with for business reasons and she couldn’t exactly say no to them with her father glaring at her from behind a seemingly kind man with a charming smile. Each date with a man would always end the same way of her denying them to come in her house or politely denying a request for second date.

Despite her fancy for women, she also came to the conclusion that despite her skill in other areas, she lacked in that department. Asami had only dated a few women here and there before they were either unhappy with her schedule or she just simply never had the time for a relationship. She was rather fine on her own, but she wouldn’t deny that she felt lonely now and then. Perhaps a date was just what she needed.

After stepping from the shower, drying her hair, and taking care of a few other things, she exited the bathroom in her towel as she padded over to her computer to check the appropriate attire for the dinner. Her fingers moved at leisurely pace, but as she glanced over at the clock that read 5:12 pm, they picked up their pace. Her eyes did a quick skim of the attire and it was rather professional. The ravenette went through her closet and chose a sleeveless floor length crimson dress with a sweetheart bodice that was rather modest to an extent. She dug through her closet for her matching red heels to wear with the dress as well as her mother’s gold necklace from her jewelry box.

Asami made quick work of covering the bruises that stood out and were exposed. Covering the one’s on her back had been quite a chore, but a chore she was use to nonetheless. She curled her hair and applied her crimson red lipstick and usual purple eyeshadow before she grabbed her purse and keys and was out the door.

The drive wasn’t terribly long and the restaurant wasn’t difficult to find, but it sure was crowded despite her being there a minute before the opening time. Men and women of all ethnicities were outside in a line waiting for the doors to open in rather professional attire. Women were wearing the same type of dress as Asami was and the men were either wearing suits or military uniforms. The doors opened and people began filing into the restaurant and Asami followed the flow of the line as the parties entered. When she reached the hostess, the young girl greeted her and asked for the reservation name.

“Oh, um… I have a blind date that my friend had set me up with… I don’t know the actual name she might of said.”

“What’s your name?” The young blue eyed tan skinned waitress asked politely.

“Asami Sato.”

She went behind the podium with little sense of urgency and with a smile, grabbed two menus, “Sato and Waters, table for 2, right here.”

The hostess led Asami to a table in the corner of the restaurant that had plush brown cushion seats with a wood frame. The tables were made out of a wood she had never seen before with a white cloth over it and underneath were furs from various wild animals. The rest of the place had the perfect amount of lighting throughout the restaurant and various lights at random would fade in and out like a spirit floating throughout the restaurant. Above in the wooden beams was what appeared to be a long woven realistic branch that dripped of lights that looked like snow. The restaurant had a rugged tribal feel to it, but it had a surprising amount of elegance. There was a candle in the middle of the table that had a rather curious deep blue flower with curled petals on each side of it. 

“Has the other person showed up yet?” Asami asked curiously and the hostess shook her head.

“Not that I know of.” A waiter pulled out her chair for her and the hostess placed the menus on the table, “Enjoy your meal, a waitress will be by shortly to take your preference of drink.”

And with that, Asami was on her own. She surveyed more of the restaurant and a picture near the door where it said  _ ‘STAFF ONLY’  _ about 20 feet from her peeked her interest. It was an old cracking wood frame with an aging picture underneath a set of words in cursive written on the space of wall that said ‘ _ The spirits guide you to eternal happiness and contentment’ _ . The picture held 3 people and Asami squinted in order for her to get a better look without standing in front of the picture and having the risk of getting hit by the door if it opened.

The picture contained what look liked a family. A rather large and bulky man with a clean shave face with long dark hair and light eyes. The woman was much smaller than he was and stood at his shoulder. She had dark hair in two loose pigtails that extended to the cut off of the picture. The woman looked tired, but she was still smiling with genuine happiness that photo captured in her cyan eyes. The child in the middle caught Asami’s attention. The little girl was clinging onto both her parents and appeared to be only 6 years old. The little girl’s cyan eyes were crinkled since her mouth was twisted in a grin like she was laughing.

The little girl had dark brown hair tied with a hair tube on each side of her head that hung loosely, but the ends of her thick hair flared out. She also had her hair done in a wolf tail on the back of her head that also flared out quite dramatically. Her skin was tan like her mother’s and father’s, but she had her mother’s color eyes. The family was dressed rather casually and the photo looked to be as if it was taken in the moment of things. However, in Asami’s gut, something about the girl seemed oddly familiar to her.

“Spirits help me, what on earth are you doing here?”

Asami snapped her eyes over to the voice. The tone in which the question was stated was not at all disrespectful or rude, but filled with surprise. Crystal green eyes widened at the sight of Korra. She was clad in a crisp white tuxedo shirt, jet black vest, equally black pants and shoes, and black silk tie like the other waiters or waitresses wore. The attire fitted her extremely well and the shirt was tighter on the arms and chest. The girl was clicking her pen every now and then anxiously as she shifted her weight onto each foot. It took a moment for the ravenette to respond.

“I have a… date.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

The interaction was awkward to say the least. Korra had made it her goal to try her best to distract and rid herself from the dream and was succeeding every time until the ravenette seemed to pop up out of nowhere. She knew that if her parents did not own this restaurant and her superior was watching her deal with a guest like she was now, she would have been pulled into the office and fired for the lack of carrying out her job or had a smack upside the head for her to get her head out of the clouds and focus on the task at hand.

“Do you want me to wait until they get here to take your order?” Asami glanced to the door, but she simply nodded her head without saying anything, “What would you like to drink?”

“A water, please.”

Korra left to go retrieve the water and had returned a few moments later. She placed it on the table and Asami said her thanks but did not touch it. The fancy glass began to build with condensation as it sat sitting there untouched as her gaze remained to the entrance of the restaurant. Korra returned to waiting on tables, but every now and then she would glance back at the ravenette and find her still alone at the table with her anxiously shifting around in her seat.

The brunette’s section of the tables for her to wait on had changed an hour and a half later to a larger section for a favor from a friend, but still when she found time, she would check up on Asami. She would refill her water if it was empty and had brought her out a tray of appetizers to snack on as she waited. Besides Asami, there were very few people left in the restaurant before they were about to close. Her parents restaurant were one of the few exclusive restaurants that remained open for a select amount of hours for dinner with only a certain amount of reservations. Because of this, there was a long line for reservations that sometimes backed up to 6 months to a year.

When it was an hour to closing time when Korra’s friend Lila walked up to her with a pitiful expression as she was wiping clean some of the silverware in the back of the kitchen. The dark haired girl with light blue eyes and tan skin much like her own sat down on the table next to her and she looked ready to spill some gossip, but Korra knew it also wasn’t going to be pleasant by the pitiful expression.

“Poor girl, getting stood up like that… She’s absolutely beautiful and very pleasant to be around, I can’t imagine why anyone would stand her up.”

“Who?” Korra replied absentmindedly as she wiped the silverware with polish so they gleamed.

“That girl with black hair, rather tall, pale skinned, and eyes like crystals- oh so you know who I’m talking about.” Lila explained before she raised an eyebrow in surprise as she was describing the girl and Korra suddenly stiffened.

“She goes to my school… I should go talk to her.”

Korra tossed the rag over her shoulder and exited kitchen. She remembered where Asami sat precisely, although she was chastising herself on remembering such a thing as if it were as important as material on a test. The restaurant was for the most part empty besides a pair of couples who were so engulfed in their conversations they had hardly touched their food. Asami was still sitting at the table with an expression that confused Korra. The girl was not looking crestfallen, hurt, disappointed, or angry, but she had the expression of someone who was thinking to hard or degrading themselves as she muttered under her breath. 

“Hey.” Korra greeted rather gruffly as she sat down across from the ravenette, “You okay?”

Surprisingly, Asami laughed with eyes full of mirth, the expression she had before gone,  “Oh yes, I’m perfectly fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Korra fumbled a bit at the unexpected answer, “Well… you were stood up on a date. Shouldn’t you be upset?”

Again, Asami laughed, a very melodious sound that Korra thinks she will never forget, “As troublesome as that sounds, it’s not like I knew the girl well so it saved me a bit of tension. Sure my ego is a bit bruised, but I’ve had worse happen.”

The last part of the sentence was uttered rather darkly and caught the brunette by surprise, “That’s not fair.”

She shrugged and simply replied, “Life isn’t fair.”

“Boy, do I agree with that.”

Korra called over Lila so that Asami could order something to eat since the girl had so loyally waited to see if her date would arrive. Asami dove into her meal and the two girls had light hearted conversion and at points Korra found herself grinning from ear to ear. Asami was a bit more controlled in her actions down to the way she ate. Taking one bite at a time and carefully patting the napkin to her mouth if need be before it returned to its proper spot on her lap. 

Korra raved on about boxing when Asami politely asked and listened to every word no matter how long the girl took. When Korra inquired the other about her auto shop and how it was going, the brunette listened as intently as Asami previously had. Even when Asami said something she had not understood, she was still nodding her head and smiling at the passion held in crystal green eyes. The two were then discussing band and when Korra almost spoke about Kuvira, a look of frustration crossed her face, but as quick as it showed up, it disappeared, but Asami never missed it.

“Are you okay?”

Korra hesitated before sighing, “Just relationship issues.”

“I’m a great listener.” Asami offered innocently.

“As much as the school likes to think our relationship is perfect, it’s not.” Korra began before continuing, “She doesn’t want to spend time with me when I am able and she always picks the worst times as if it is a set up for failure and just so she can have something to argue about. We aren’t as strong as we use to and we butt heads all the time to where it’s downright frustrating.”

“I don’t mean to be rude as I say this, but why are you still with her if it’s causing you stress?”

“She’s had a rough life and I like to think that’s why she acts like this. She was abandoned as a child so she’s very independent and strong willed. She wants things to go her way if she has a say in things. The last thing I want to do is hurt her.”

“But she’s hurting you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to tell her the truth on how I feel.”

“Sometimes the truth is better than lying or sucking it up and dealing with it. A relationship is a team effort. If she leaves you to carry the weight of the burdens your relationship cause you, it’s not fair on your part. A relationship involves two people with an equal share of responsibilities, not one taking them all on at once.”

For once in her life, Korra didn’t know what to say in response to a piece of advice. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she shut it again to think. Asami was right in a sense she had to agree, although she didn’t want to. Advice on her relationship was something she didn’t like to listen to because it shouldn’t matter what the world thinks about your relationship and it was  _ her _ problem, not Asami’s. However as she pondered it more, her eyes widened at the realization she had that this had to be the first time she ever let anyone listen to her problems about her relationship. Hell, she didn’t even tell her  _ parents _ this.

“You’re right.”

Asami only gave a small gracious twitch of the lips in response. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was startled when the voice was not her own.

“Well, I see  _ my date _ has found the company of someone else.” The voice was feminine and on the husky side. Both girls glanced up.

The girl had an appearance much like Korra and the other workers here the restaurant. Asami had done some reading while she waited and the restaurant was a form of tribute to two Water Tribes from long ago. She assumed that judging by the traits of this girl standing in front of her, this girl was a descendant of one of the two Water Tribes much like Korra and the other workers appeared to be from their dark hair, caramel skin color, and blue or grey eyes.

The new guest to their table had her extremely dark hair that was a shade or two dark than Korra’s tied back in a wolf tail with the end of it reaching her nape. The sides of her head were cut down and shaved like the men in the Water Tribe. Her eyes were a steel gray and rather intense to look at. She had a soft angular features like Korra and a few light freckles dotted her skin. She was dressed in a dark blue dress shirt and black dress pants with equally black shoes, but she was not dressed as nice as Korra. Her body was lean and she was just as tall as Asami. She was beautiful by any standards, but there was something that stood out from her bite in her voice that made Asami uncomfortable despite Opal’s reassurance of this nice girl’s personality.

To the her immense surprise, Korra took the rag off her shoulder and stood from her seat and blocked the girl off from Asami. The girl’s eyebrow twitched, but she remained rather unfazed. She smoothly moved around Korra and shoved her to the side in a way as if she kindly moved her. Korra raised her eyebrows with annoyance. The girl smiled and reached for Asami’s hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the knuckles.

“My, I was told you were beautiful, but that word is surely no way to describe a goddess.” The girl said with a suave smile, “I’m Kaliska.”

The ravenette removed her hand and politely responded, “Asami.”

Kaliska eyes flickered to the table and with a rather odd tone in her voice said, “I’ve seen you’ve not only had the company of someone else, but eaten without me. How unfortunate.”

“She should have eaten after she waited 2 hours for you and she should’ve before we closed.” Korra replied for Asami with a hard voice and crossed arms.

Still with level composure the other responded, “I never asked for the opinion of the help.”

“I am not just the help-”

“If this place is closing why don’t you and I go back to my place to watch a movie?” Kaliska said as she turned back to her date.

After taking a deep breath, she responded, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

This time, Kaliska seemed to visibly falter. Her look of coolness broke and was replaced with confusion, “What?”

Asami ignored Korra who was besides her as she rose from her chair and hardly containing her mirth.

“Whether it was an honest mistake or not, it was incredibly rude of you to waltz in here and act in such a way. I appreciate your kindness towards me, but I do not appreciate how you treat my friend. I will also not be going back to your home since I hardly even know you.”

Whatever coolness the other had left entirely. She frowned and pursed her lips, but she had no indication of leaving until Korra stepped in front of Asami again. Korra pushed the girl back a bit as an indication to get going. The boxer followed the other out the door and made sure she was gone before she went back to Asami. The other girl was reaching in her purse for her wallet.

“How much do I owe you?” 

“Consider it on the house.”

“Won’t you get fired for doing that?”

“Not if I pay for it, but besides, my parents can’t fire their best worker.” Korra smiled as she pointed to herself with a cheeky grin.

Crystal eyes flickered back to that photo with the little girl and the parents,  _ ‘No wonder they looked familiar, _ ’ she thought, but then scoffed soon after.

“Sure, their best worker is a waitress who looked like they wanted to deck someone because of their nerve.”

“Hey! I was doing you a favor!" Korra then mumbled under her breath, "The nerve of her. Kaliska, huh? 'Coyote chasing deer' seems fitting enough. She seems like the type to go after girls for the hunt.”

A small grin worked its way on her face, “Yes you did, thank you. My time here was much more enjoyable with you than what I probably could’ve had with her.”

And with that, Asami picked up her things and left the restaurant. Korra watched her go with a sense of ease. The dream she had left her mind and bothered her no more. She could not care and she would not care since dreams were a fragmentation of the mind. They were not real and meant nothing. Her mind probably mixed up the people, she thought.

That had to be it…right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Waves and then hides in a hole*
> 
> Wow sorry I've been such an asshole and haven't posted for over a month. I've been super busy and my computer had crashed so I had to retype this thing over several times. I've also been up to my neck in band rehearsals during the weekday and weekend. I've also been talking to my Navy recruiter so I've also just been making sure I'm medically cleared with everything possibly wrong with me so there is no issues when I go to MEPs.
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter! Next will contain fluff!
> 
> -Ash, (biggestrainbow on tumblr)


	8. Rainy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainy days bring people together for one on one time and light-heartedness takes place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice fluffy chapter (mostly) for you all! I'm sorry I'm so late!
> 
> If anyone can guess what anime movie I referenced in here I will give you massive credit.
> 
> I'd also like to thank everyone for their kind words and especially tyme-to-waterbend because your positive words and advice helped pushed me to finish this chapter!

The chiming of her alarm clock woke Asami up on the bright Sunday morning. She raised her arms above her head to stretch and winced at the strain it put on her bruises. She shrugged off the covers and padded downstairs in her pair of grey pajama pants and pink sleep shirt. The ravenette paused she heard clattering in the kitchen much too loud for the housekeepers and considering it was 8 in the morning on a Sunday, it was much too early for them to be in her home. She paused at the end of the staircase and peeked into the massive kitchen to find her father rummaging about.

His walk was teetering as he made his way around the kitchen, opening every cabinet there was to find the one thing he was searching for. Asami guessed he had a hangover from the previous night and judging by the looks of it, it was pretty bad as he clutched his head or made a displeased sound when pots and pans would bang together. Also judging by the state of his mood he was in last night when she had returned home, it must’ve been drinking more than he did usually. She grimaced at the thought.

Her presence was known when Hiroshi turned and caught his daughter in his peripheral vision. He paused for just a moment, but he ignored her as he went to continue his search. Judging he was looking for some aspirin, she went to the fridge and rummaged above it before her fingers made contact with the small bottle of pills. She filled up a glass of water and placed the pills on the napkin while she directed her father over to the chair at the table. He took the pills without question and sat down at the table.

She soon returned with a tray of ginger tea, eggs, toast, and a banana to eat along with his daily newspaper to look through. However, during his meal, he dropped his fork and it clattered on the floor and he groaned once more as he clutched the side of his head. Although the floor was clean eat to eat off of, she gingerly picked up the fork and placed it in the sink before replacing it with a clean one. Asami went to place the fork into her father’s hand, but he slapped the back of her hand rather forcibly before ripping the fork from her grasp.

With a sigh of defeat, the ravenette decided she was going to leave her father to his own devices as he wasn’t a danger to himself at the moment. She went upstairs to change into a dark skirt with black tights underneath and a fitted cream sweater with a designer brand shoe to match the whole ensemble. She told her father she was going out and got the expected response of ‘get out of my sight’ as per usual before exiting their lavish home. Her engine roared to life and she drove to the park that was a good distance from her home.

Once she parked her car, Asami strolled into the park and passed the gates that had the usual standard signs of ‘ _Open from dawn till dusk. No alcohol. Park attendants must follow park rules.’._ She crossed the bridge over the small brook towards the gazebo in the middle of the park. She followed the path to the two-tiered beautiful gazebo that resembled one someone would see in wedding photos. The gazebo contained two L-shaped benches on each side of the gates while the back was open to stand and survey the lake that rested behind it. Tree branches with delicate flowers blooming from them hung lazily on the roof and vines wrapped around the wooden beams.

Asami pulled out her book _Shattered Balance_  from her bag to read. The sunlight warmed her cheeks as she read each line over again in the peaceful silence that was within the park. She could hear the brook’s stream as the water raced down its path, but there was something else that was added to the mix. The thumping of heavy footsteps on the path had her glancing up to see who the new visitor was. Crystal green eyes widened in surprise.

“Now I’m convinced that you must be stalking me,” Asami giggled and the other glanced up.

Korra was sitting on the park bench on the far side of the ravenette while breathing heavily. She was dressed in a dark athletic shirt that stuck to her skin with sweat and a pair of running shorts. The brunette was retying her blue-black running shoes when Asami had spoken to her. When cyan eyes moved upward and realized who was there, Korra let out a huff of laughter.

“If anything I think you are,” Her blue eyes were bright as she spoke and seemed the least bit bothered at Asami’s presence, “I would’ve thought you’d be at your shop by now.”

“We’re closed on Sundays.” A faint clap of thunder arose in the distance and the pair directed their attention towards it.

“I don’t think it will be headed this way,” Korra stated and Asami nodded her head in agreement.

The pair sat on the park benches together and had an idle conversation and eventually Korra moved over to sit near the other as more people came and went. They laughed merrily at Korra’s crazy and odd stories while Asami listened with interest. Her green eyes watched with amusement and a smile tugged at her lips as she took in as the other spoke about a topic she was passionate about. She had explained she had been out running to prepare for the competition and how she was going to beat Tahno to the ground. Korra had a crooked smile on her face and her eyes were lit up like the sun as she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Asami noted she probably could be talking to a wall about and the brunette would still be just as passionate.

“I’m going to jab him right in the-” She paused suddenly and a tan hand flew up to the back of her neck and then brought her hand in front of her eyes to examine the water droplet.

The two had been talking for so long and focused on each other that they both had failed to notice the rain clouds change direction and head their way. The sky was no longer cloudy and blue, but instead devoid of sunlight. The clouds were now a dark charcoal grey compared to the earlier lighter shade. A strong gust of wind blew their way and the rain began to pour down in heavy droplets.

“Shit, I'm supposed to run home!” Korra groaned as she wiped her hands over her face.

The rain began in a drizzle and soon turned into a downpour with fat raindrops that pounded on the roof of the gazebo. Drenched leaves were being carried in each gust of the wind and the rain slapped the each of them in the face and wet their cheeks. Asami was quick to tuck her book back into her purse to shield it from the rain. Korra’s face soon held the deepest frown the girl had ever seen on her as her eyes were scanning the distance.

The two girls eyes scanned the areas for spots of shelter if they decided to run. The rain blew in their direction and with a little gasp, they braced for it. Asami settled down in the middle of the gazebo while Korra paced the perimeter, antsy to get home. When the rain wasn’t letting up and appeared to be getting worse, the ravenette offered to drive the other home. Without any hesitation, Korra accepted.

“Should we make a break for it? I’ll follow you to your car.”

Asami gauged whether or not she was actually serious about running through this near hurricane like storm. When she realized that she was indeed quite serious, she nodded her head and dashed out of the gazebo where the rain was quick to assault her for leaving her shelter. Her shoes were flooded and her clothes stuck to her skin as she navigated through the park to the parking lot. Halfway to her car, several thick blobs of water hit her eye and she was almost entirely sure her contact fell out. She continued running with Korra hot on her heels.

The two girls practically flew into Asami’s car. They took one glance at each other and burst out into laughter at their drowned states. Both were quick to make snide comments to each other and each of the mocked hurt. Korra directed Asami to her home as she navigated through the rain. Korra’s eyes were following the rain and occasionally out of the corner of her eye, Asami would watch with curiosity at the girl’s fascination with rain.

“Man, if I could waterbend, I would’ve made a bubble around us so we wouldn’t look like we just swam in a river!”

Korra smiled when that brought out a bit of laughter that sounded soft like wind chimes. Cyan eyes glanced at the rain once more and her brow furrowed as she turned her body away from Asami’s peering eye that she noticed moment before so she could not read her expression. Korra was delighted that the other was smiling and laughing, but it seemed entirely off. She could tell it was genuine, but not as expressive as it had the potential to be.

During their talk under the gazebo, Asami had been too tense. Her posture was straight as an arrow and not at all relaxed as she should have been in the peaceful environment. Her back never once touched the boards of the bench and if it did, she would grimace and adjust her posture once more. Even now in the car, Korra noticed the girl had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. Asami’s whole aura felt displaced despite her smiles and laughter.

‘ _School must really be getting to her,’_ Korra thought.

* * *

 

They arrived at Korra’s house in near shambles. Korra was mumbling under breath as she ran through the rain. By this time her hair decided it wanted to act on its own and began drying in the car and soon took on the appearance of a wet dog after it shakes their fur. Asami was about as red as she could be as the color bloomed on her cheeks. Her arms her crossed in front of her sweater as she realized at a red light that her sweater had become see through and her bra was noticeable.

Asami was greeted by the monstrous furry beast that Korra called her dog. Naga halted at the new visitor, but seeing that she was not a threat to her owner, the white dog leapt for Asami who yelped and braced herself against the door. At the sound of the ravenette’s yelp, Naga removed herself and sat curiously on the floor with a tilt of her head. She sniffed her curiously before pressing her wet nose into her pale hand very gently as if she were glass.

“Hello, who's this?” an older woman with Korra’s features stepped out cleaning a glass. She gave Asami a once over and raised an eyebrow.

“This is Asami.” Asami waved a little as she kept her arms crossed over her chest.

Korra’s mother glanced over at her daughter once more before a welcoming smile broke out on her face, “Well, Asami, why don’t you clean up. I’m sure my daughter would be more than happy to lend you a pair of clothes while I dry yours for you.”

The ravenette gratefully accepted the offer. Korra went up to her room to find clothes for her guest. The brunette opened her drawers and rummaged for a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants at the other’s request. She hardly wore those clothes anymore and was meaning to get rid of them as she had already replaced them so she was grateful it made her life easier to find clothes for the other girl. Korra handed her a pair of boy shorts, a navy blue sweater, and grey sweatpants and directed her to one of the bathrooms to shower.

It did not take very long for her to shower. She was quick about it as she felt uncomfortable in someone else’s home and in a spot where she was alone. Her sight was limited as she decided to ditch her contacts until she fetched her black rectangular frame glasses from her purse. The sweater she was given was a little too big for her and the collar was beginning to slip from her shoulders as Korra’s shoulders and frame were broader than hers.She was relieved that no bruises were visible. The sweatpants were a little baggy and hung rather low on her hips. She padded out barefoot to the living room where Korra’s mother was enjoying a cup of hot cocoa. She placed the mug down on the coffee table before reaching for the clothes.

“I made some hot cocoa for you girls since it’s chilly with the rain and all. Korra is still showering, but she will be out soon. Get yourself comfortable on the couch.”

The motherly attitude had Asami beaming as she said her thanks once more and sat on the couch with her mug and her legs crossed. Her glasses fogged up from the steam a few times and when she went to sip from her hot chocolate, she heard ungraceful footsteps coming from the left of her. She glanced to the side and found Korra staring at her curiously as she towel dried her hair.

“Who are you?”

Her mother came from behind her and her hand cuffed her upside the head, “How rude of you to invite someone over and forget them.”

Korra gave an annoyed look to her mother before turning her attention back to the ravenette sitting comfortably on her sofa with the mug in her hand. The brunette stared at her and examined like a student taking a test would before her eyes widened. She bowed her head and let out a little laugh as she rubbed her head with the towel. She slung the white towel around her shoulders and held on the ends of them before she spoke with a voice thick of amusement and her lips quirked upwards.

“You just keep getting nerdier don’t you?”

Asami’s lips pursed with displeasure and her eyes narrowed as she huffed as she clicked her tongue. She took a sip of hot cocoa before she spoke, “You’re a thorn in my side sometimes, you know?”

Korra grinned cheekily as she gestured for Asami to follow her upstairs. The ravenette followed her companion to her room and was surprised to see it was rather bare and devoid of posters. The walls were a cool blue like the clearest colour of water and the hardwood floors were a smooth dark oak. There was a queen sized bed in the middle with the headboard against the wall with a desk to the left in the corner. Besides the desk was a trumpet and saxophone case and on the desk was a laptop, sheet music, and college letters. Across from the bed was a large flat screen television. Despite its small size, the bedroom felt cozy.

The brunette dragged out a couple of bean bag chairs and tossed them at the foot of the bed in front of the television. She turned on the gaming console and the television as she grabbed the controllers. She handed one over to Asami with the option to refuse, but the girl gladly took it. A few moments later, Naga came. She excitedly bounded up to her owner with a wagging tail before she turned her attention to Asami. Naga was careful with her movements and laid gently beside Asami.

Cyan blue eyes watched on with surprise and curiosity, “Hm, that’s funny. Naga is hardly ever careful around anyone. Count yourself lucky though that you’re not one of the many she knocks down.”

After explaining the basis of the fighting game they were about to play, the girls leaned back in their chairs to play the video game. Asami wasn’t surprised it was a fighting game, but she soon grew frustrated as she had never played this game and Korra was exceptionally good. Her fingers moved on the controller with skill and little hesitation with soft clicks of the buttons while Asami’s fingers darted around the controller with forceful pressing and her character had clumsy movements.

“There’s no pattern to this game at all! The controls for the characters aren’t even the same or relatively similar! Who even designed this?” The ravenette exclaimed as she let her control drop in her lap.

“Never took you for a sore loser, Sato,” Korra’s eyes were filled with mirth, but her grin lessened and her look grew more thoughtful.

Asami rubbed the back of her neck while she was under the girl’s gaze as she readjusted her glasses, “What are you going to remind me of how nerdy I look? Give me a break my contacts had fallen out.”

Korra’s face softened and she half smiled, “No, I was just going to apologize and tell you I thought you looked beautiful.”

The ravenette was at a loss for words and she cursed her pale skin as she felt the warmth rise up to her cheeks. Her cheeks were tinted a rosy pink and her crystal green eyes bashfully broke eye contact as she played with the hem of the brunettes sweater. In her peripheral vision, she could see the smug look on the others face.

“Wow did I actually make the great Asami Sato blush? I should get an award.”

Asami was about to make a smart retort, but Korra’s mother, Senna Asami soon learned, knocked on the door and her daughter called her in, “Girls, I’m about to start making dinner. Asami, Korra usually helps me cook dinner, but I’m fine with her staying up here with you unless you’d rather come down and I can show you how to make my famous tribal stew.”

Korra pumped her fist in the air with a whistle at the announcement of tribal stew. Asami smiled warmly, “I’d love to help if you would allow me to.”

Asami and Korra’s mother headed downstairs first while Korra stayed behind to shut the game off. Naga regained her enthusiasm and followed her owner’s every footstep. As soon as her finger pressed against the power switch of the console, her phone vibrated violently in her pocket. She reached for it and the screen illuminated Kuvira’s face and several angry text messages. Korra stood staring at the phone as she debated whether or not she wanted to answer.

From her bedroom, Korra could see her mother and Asami downstairs as they began chopping ingredients and they were laughing merrily. Her phone kept ringing and she already knew that her girlfriend was trying to pick another fight. Cyan blue eyes glanced one more time down to the kitchen and her lips quirked up at the look of excitement on Asami’s face as her mother let her taste the beginning of the broth. With an even wider smile, Korra tossed her phone carelessly on her bed and bounded down the stairs to where her mother and friend were.

During the process of making dinner, Korra and her mother did a majority of the work as they knew the recipe by heart and Asami followed any task she was given. The ravenette laughed whenever Korra’s mother would give a smart comment after she handed her daughter a band-aid when the knife would accidentally graze her finger.

Korra’s father came home soon after they set the table. He had as much enthusiasm as Korra had when she found out the dinner was going to be tribal stew and eagerly sat down besides his wife. Their stew came with a bowl of rice and fresh bread as it steamed with a mouth watering aroma. Korra and her father wasted little time digging into their meals and both of them at precisely the same time reeled back from burning their mouths. Asami and Korra’s mother exchanged a look as they both giggled.

The table was quiet most of the time, but it was a comfortable silence as everyone delightfully ate their meals. Korra’s father, Tonraq, asked a few questions about the race Korra had told him all about and she indulged him humbly and both parents listened with interest. The two adults did not ask any questions on her personal life, which she was grateful for, and the most it came to that category was Tonraq’s acknowledgement of remembering meeting Asami at her shop when he paid for Korra’s car to be fixed. The atmosphere was warm, friendly, and peaceful and that’s all Asami could ever ask for.

“Well, dinner was fantastic. Asami, I really appreciate you helping my wife and daughter out. You did a great job,” He stated as he clapped her on the back like a father would to their child.

The ravenette knew it was a friendly gesture, but her entire body tensed at the feeling. His hand hit the center of her shoulder blades above the top of the chair and the bruises there protested with a dull ache that rippled through. She felt a wave of anxiety coil around her and her muscles tensed painfully tight and her grip on her utensil made her knuckles white. She hadn’t noticed she had been staring off until Senna called out for her.

“Oh I’m sorry, must’ve been caught up in my thoughts,” She lied smoothly and gave an earnest smile, “Thank you for your kind words, I truly do not deserve them.”

Asami was quick to walk over to sink where Korra took her plate and washed it. She then inquired where her clothes were and Senna walked her to the where the dryer was and pulled out the freshly dried clothes. Asami changed in the bathroom next door and soon announced her departure to the confused family. Tonraq and Korra insisted she stay longer, but luckily Senna suggested that she was probably tired and needed some rest.

When Asami sat in her car she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. She envied their complete family she admitted to herself. Her panic also had driven her to make a rude and hasty departure with little thought. She’d think of a way to apologize when she would arrive home and present it the following week. Thoughts were swimming in her mind as sat in the driveway. The most dreaded time of the year was approaching and she let out a sigh. Asami glanced up one more time and through the window she could see Korra and her family at peace and cheerful.

Soon after, she backed out of the driveway and headed home where she knew there would be no one waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the fluffy chapter before we get back into the swing of things meaning angst, but the next chapter is where everything begins to get set in motion and by get set in motion I mean rolling down a hill at high speeds.  
> I can't promise any specific date for the next chapter because it all depends on my interest level, but I assure you I have not given up on this!  
> Love you all!  
> -Ash (biggestrainbow on tumblr)


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